A Philosophical Investigation of Principlism and the Implications Raised by the Treatment of the Mentally Ill

The objective of this investigation is to identify reasonable and relevant problems and issues posed for Principlism by the mentally ill. Two concepts of Principlism will be presented: a normative conceptualization of the bioethical theory and a descriptive conceptualization. In reference to both, two philosophical questions will be asked: can we know the natures of other minds and, if so, how? These two questions have theoretical and practical implications for the treatment of the mentally ill. And, in so far as the questions have implications for the treatment of the mentally ill, they have implications for the bioethical theory of Principlism. There is a lack of concurrence on the meaning, nature, and function of mental phenomena, producing conceptual difficulties concerning the common morality that provides Principlism its normative authority. Similarly, a contradiction appears to arise when one considers the imaginative leap of predicting another’s desires, feelings, and thoughts, a maneuver that professionals participating in the treatment of the mentally ill must perform. There is also significant ambiguity surrounding the concept of mental illness, which produces pragmatic problems when professionals attempt to diagnose and treat an individual in conjunction