Ethics in medicine

277 Pages·2014·3.081 MB·English

by  Shabih H. Zaidi (auth.)

Ethics in
MMeeddiicciinnee
Shabih H. Zaidi
Ethics in Medicine

Shabih H. Z aidi
E thics in Medicine
Shabih H. Zaidi
American University of Barbados
Birmingham
UK
ISBN 978-3-319-01043-4 ISBN 978-3-319-01044-1 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-01044-1
Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London
Library of Congress Control Number: 2013956433
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Humbly dedicated to
Mohammad- o- Aley Mohammad
the ultimate teachers of ethics
With thanks to my parents
who brought me up to follow them

Foreword
Medical science has been around for a long time; in fact, it has probably existed
since the fi rst man became sick. Over time it has evolved and become specialised.
The medical profession is one of the most respectable ones in the world. Due to the
nature of its work, curing bodies and saving lives, humanity has always felt close to
this livelihood.
Ethics is a branch of philosophy. Ethical infl uence has changed the way human
beings deal with many issues. It continues to hold its ground in the modern world.
Ethics is a means of monitoring man’s activities. It strives to keep man aligned with
divine law as ‘corruption has appeared in land and sea because of the doings of
people’s hands ’ (Quran; 30:40). There can be two insights to the word ‘Ethics’: eth-
ics as morality or the human conduct, and ethics as philosophy of good actions. The
former deals with what human beings should do and the latter deals with why they
should do what they should do. In other words, one is the law of good life and the
other is the reasoning behind that law.
Ethical arguments exist in all social sciences. However, its position in medicine
is undeniable. The weight of ethics in medicine increased in the twentieth century
and persists to do so in the new millennium. Medical Ethics is a growing topic as
new discoveries are constantly being made in the fi eld. Furthermore, we are living
in an all changing world in terms of ideologies and awareness. Religion is playing a
more important role in Medical Ethics than ever before. The responsibility of all
researchers and writers on this subject matter is crucial; for their contribution will
be a torch for future generations.
Dr. Shabih Haidar Zaidi covers a wide range of topics in this book, Medical
Ethics . He gives the view of leading medical fi gures, philosophers and religious
experts. The reader will appreciate the extensive research the author has carried
out in compiling such a work. It makes fi ne comparisons and offers thorough
analyses.
My acquaintance with Dr. Shabih Haidar Zaidi is not recent. Ever since I have
known him, I have admired his intellect, professionalism, integrity and academic
credibility. He has served as an expert in many different medical establishments.
He continues to progress at the peak of his professional career. As a student for life
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viii Foreword
one should not stop learning and improving. Dr. Zaidi is a perfect example of this
constant pursuit of knowledge. In this book, Dr. Zaidi has explored the contempo-
rary issues pertaining Medical Ethics. I wish him the best for his new position as the
Dean of the Medical School in Barbados.
London, England (HujatulIslam Molana)
Ali Raza Rizvi
President Shia Ulema , Europe
Contents
1 Ethics Through the Ages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Early Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 The Greek Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.3 The Arab and Muslim Period . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.4 Bacon: Russell-Mcindyre-Dawkins, Beauchamp
and Childress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
1.4.1 The God Particle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Further Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2 Ethical Theories and Metaethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.1 Ethical Theories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.1.1 Virtue Theory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2.1.2 Duty Theories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.2 Metaphysics and Metaethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.2.1 A Secular and Religious Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
2.2.2 ‘Metaethics’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
2.3 Faith: A Virtue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
2.4 Work Ethics. Inter Professional Ethics: Imam Ali’s Directives . . . . 60
2.4.1 The Common Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
2.4.2 The Counsellors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
2.4.3 The Different Classes of People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
2.4.4 The Army . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
2.4.5 The Real Guidance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
2.4.6 Chief Justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
2.4.7 Subordinate Judiciary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
2.4.8 Revenue Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
2.4.9 Clerical Establishment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
2.4.10 Trade and Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
2.4.11 The Poor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
2.4.12 Open Conferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
2.4.13 Communion with God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
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