Contrasting Relativism, Absolutism and Pragmatism for Utility in Healthcare Ethics. Revisiting Drummond's Article on Relativism

Abstract

In this manuscript I revisit the late John Drummond's article on Relativism published in Nursing Philosophy (2005, volume 4). His was a very carefully developed look at relativism and its implications for healthcare work. Using John's account as a springboard, I contrast the philosophical approaches to knowledge acquisition and moral action of absolutism, relativism and pragmatism. I argue that pragmatism has more utility for ethical decision-making in healthcare than either absolutist or relativist approaches by permitting the conceptualization of probable good actions for individual patients, and evaluating the rigor of underlying data-gathering. Pragmatist methods also allow for evaluating the consequences of actions in terms of how well they achieved their goals, and accounting for this knowledge as pertinent when planning future actions. Because each healthcare profession has goals related to patient care, their practitioners need to be able to figure out how to meet those goals even in the face of obstacles. While restricted in their applicability, insights from both Immanuel Kant's moral absolutism and moderate moral relativism are useful in widening the scope of considerations and provide insights into the human condition. Pragmatism does not rule out this possibility unlike relativist and absolutist views which taken alone are mutually exclusive.