生命科學與生物科技在研究上不斷的進步與突破，使得人類可以在實驗室中複製動物。展望在不久的將來，複製人類將不再只是純醉科幻小說或電影中的虛構情節，而是真正可以做到的事情。然而，我們是否可以容許科學家在不受任何限制的情況下來複製動物或複製人？ 類似這樣在科技社會下面臨的實際價值判斷的問題，成了今日應用倫理學家所要面對的重大課題。倫理學家在面臨社會重大的道德爭議或倫理議題時，究竟應該採用什麼方法來解決問題與爭議？什麼是應用倫理學？它的基本課題為何？它的研究領域包括了哪些範圍？本文首先將針對「應用倫理學」的基本課題和它在近年來的發展，以及它的研究所涉及的範圍，作一簡明扼要和通盤性的介紹與檢視。接著將以美國學者布蘭登．米諾格（Brendan Minogue）在其《生命倫理學》一書中採用的「委員會探討法」（Committee Approach）為例，來反省並檢討應用倫理學的方法論。其中包括介紹「倫理委員會」的組成與運作方式，以及倫理委員會探討法的倫理學基礎。最後將針對「倫理委員會探討法」的可行性進行方法論的整體評估。
The continuous progress and breakthrough in the research of bio-science and bio-technology has already made animal-cloning possible in the human laboratory. It is expected that human-cloning will be no more just an episode of science fiction or movies, but a reality in the near future. However, whether or not we should allow scientists to do such experiments is far from clear and remains a big issue for the applied ethics. The author first tries to elucidate the nature of applied ethics, then proceeds to make a comprehensive review of its basic issues and its latest development. The methodology of appled ethics is discussed in view of the "ethics committee approach" which was proposed by Brendan Minogue in his Bioethics: A Committee Approach. In conclusion, a critical and holistic valuation of the ethis committee approach will be launched with the view of examining its practicability.
