Ethical theories as multiple models

Hardman and Hutchinson claim that ethics is ‘grounded in particular, everyday concerns’. According to them, an implication of this is that ethics courses for (future) clinicians should de-emphasise teaching the theories and principles of philosophical ethics and focus instead on pedagogical activiti...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical ethics 2023-06, Vol.49 (6), p.444-446
Main Author: Wagner, Isaac A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Consequentialism
education
Ethical Theory
Ethics
Ethics, Medical
Humans
Medical education
Medical ethics
Medical philosophy
Morality
Morals
Response
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Summary:Hardman and Hutchinson claim that ethics is ‘grounded in particular, everyday concerns’. According to them, an implication of this is that ethics courses for (future) clinicians should de-emphasise teaching the theories and principles of philosophical ethics and focus instead on pedagogical activities more closely related to everyday concerns, for example, exposure to real patient accounts. I respond that, even if ethics is an ‘everyday’ phenomenon, learning philosophical ethics may be of significant practical benefit to clinicians. I argue that the theories of philosophical ethics can reasonably be interpreted as partial, simplified descriptions—or models—of moral phenomena, and that they can be effectively deployed in tandem by clinicians as complementary decision-making tools for help in navigating ethically complex situations in the clinic.
ISSN:0306-6800
1473-4257
DOI:10.1136/jme-2022-108501