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 © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifi cally the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfi lms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. 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While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) 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 vii 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 ix