Philosophy lessons from the clinical setting: Seven sayings that used to annoy me

Abstract

Traditional medical approaches to moral issues found in the clinical setting can, if properly understood, enlighten our philosophical understanding of moral issues. Moral problem-solving, as distinct from ethical and metaethical theorizing, requires that one reckon with practical complexities and uncertainties. In this setting the quality of one's answer depends not so much upon its content as upon the quality of reasoning which supports it. As the discipline which especially focuses upon the attributes of good-quality reasoning, philosophy therefore has much to contribute to the clinical enterprise of moral (and medical) problem-solving. © 1986 D. Reidel Publishing Company.