Nikolas T. Nikas, MA, JD
Presented on Wednesday, November 19, 2025 – 4:00 PM MST
Contact ABN by email at azbioethicsnetwork@gmail.com for an AI summary of the presentation.
This presentation explores the jurisprudential foundations of modern American law, tracing its evolution from the Classical tradition to contemporary interpretations and examining the implications of this shift for medicine and bioethics. The discussion begins with an overview of Classical and Western jurisprudence, from Cicero to Aquinas, to illustrate how notions of justice and natural law shaped early legal frameworks. It then examines the moral reasoning underpinning landmark moments in legal and ethical history, including the Allied prosecution of Nazi defendants at Nuremberg, the Dred Scott case, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, and Buck v. Bell—culminating in an analysis of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Through these case studies, the presentation highlights how evolving conceptions of law and morality continue to influence societal responses to issues at the intersection of law, science, medicine, and technology.