Loyola desires to form physicians who grow in goodness as well as developing the skills necessary to reflect on the meaning of being a physician, the moral nature of caring for patients, and what happens to men and women who are physicians as they care for those who come to them for help. There is a branch of ethical theory known as virtue ethics. Like many ethical theories, virtue ethics presents one perspective on ethical behavior that is not complete and has its shortcomings. But virtue theory provides us with questions that penetrate the moral nature of being a doctor and can serve as guideposts as we consider what it means to be a doctor. The series of offerings dealing with ethics are meant to be an introduction that will begin to equip you with the knowledge to consider these questions.
Ethics is more than subjective feelings.
It requires careful analysis of data, consideration of opposing viewpoints, and reflection on underlying concepts that make a position more or less acceptable ethically. Studying ethics and ethical analysis may seem very different than studying molecular biology, or anatomy, or biochemistry. There is a problem with such a position. It suggests that the information obtained in the sciences is value free and represents truth. The history of science suggests the error of this line of thinking.