HLSC220 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Immanuel Kant, Deontological Ethics, Mirtazapine
Document Summary
Professional codes of ethics or conduct or standards. Clearly, protection of the integrity of medical ethics is important for all of society. Virtue theorists focus a) on moral character and b) on the ethical goals at which we should aim (e. g. life itself, knowledge, friendship and other goods that are aspects of a flourishing human life). So, a good (or virtuous) health care professional aims to save lives, restore health and alleviate suffering. In making ethical decisions, other philosophers (deontologists) focus more on actions and less on moral character. In doing so, they look to laws, rules, duties and/or principles to guide actions, such as the universal declaration of human rights or, in health care, the professional (and legal) duty of care. The most well-known deontologist is immanuel kant (1727 1804) whose philosophical influence is apparent in modern, secular, liberal societies in general, as well as in the health care professions in particular.
