Principlism is a system of ethics based on the four moral principles of:
1. Autonomy--free-will or agency,
2. Beneficence--to do good,
3. Nonmaleficence--not to harm, and
4. Justice--social distribution of benefits and burdens.
Advocates for principlism argue that from the beginning of recorded history most moral decision-makers descriptively and prescriptively have used these four moral principles; that they are part of or compatible with most intellectual, religious, and cultural beliefs.
Read more about Principlism: Principlism Formalized Into National and International Law, Belmont Report and Its Three Core Principles, Principlism As A Practical Approach, Specifying and Balancing, Incommensurable Beliefs, Unified Approach, Goal of Moral Decision-making, Applying Principlism, Source of Material, Bibliography