At the beginning of his essay, “goodness beyond virtue”, Gaita recalls a time in his early life when he worked as a ward assistant in a psychiatric hospital. He describes the setting of the hospital as a zoo given the nature of the fenced in yard and the way by which the patients were cleaned as if they were elephants. Later, he recalls the time in which a nun came into the hospital to presumably visit with some of the patients. Gaita recalls how the nun behavior “showed up the behavior of those noble psychiatrists” and acted in a way that viewed the patients as equals (Gaita 18). Later, Gaita says “In the nuns case, her behavior was striking not for the virtues it expressed, or even for the goods it achieved, but for its power to reveal the full humanity of those whose affliction had made their humanity invisible.” He refers to such behavior as love. …show more content…
Later, gives outlines how the pure nature of love is a reason in which objects are rightly deserving of such love.
If I am asked what I mean when I say that even such people as were patients in that ward are fully equal, I can only say that the quality of her love proved that they are rightly the objects of our non-condescending treatment , that we should do all in our power to respond in that way. But if someone were to ask me what inform my sense that they are rightly the objects of such treatment, I can appeal only to the purity of her love. For me, the purity of her love proved the reality of what it
revealed. Here, we see this idea of love outside of the context of religion. However, he discusses this pure notion of love in a way that helps us make sense of reality. Even though we might not refer to the divine as a source of this love or good that we aim to achieve, its presence leads to some sort of justifications for various realities or actions. I really appreciated Gaita’s interpretation her based his experience working in the ward. Love, is certainly a virtue that can transcend the boundaries of religious belief. Although I am inclined to believe that the source of all love stem from the the Judeo-Christian God, I agree with the significance love has in a moral life. Love has the power to reveal some sort of underlying truth that in many circumstances, just feels right to act out. I appreciate Gaita’s appeal to the notion that “we often learn someone is precious only when we see it in the light of someone else’s love” (24) In addition to this, Gaita says: "Later, reflecting on the nun's example, I came to believe that an ethics centered on the concept of human flourishing does not have the conceptual resources to keep fully amongst us, in the way the nun had revealed to be possible, people who are severely and ineradicably afflicted" (p. 19). I think these comments highlight the idea that an ethic centered around the goal of human flourishing lacks a sense of understanding and acceptability of persons who are limited in their ability to flourish. As we see in the case of Gaita’s example, those whose mental functions are severely limited. However, I think Gaita meets this critique of ethical naturalism with valid conclusions on how certain virtues, in this case love, can achieve a valuable sense of understanding regarding the human condition and he nature of our actions to such people. Although this naturalistic view of ethics is founded on claims about human nature, it is not always in our human nature to to be loving and remorseful towards people who are less fortunate that we are. This, in some cases, doesn’t leave much room for the “ severely and ineradicably afflicted”. Human action is often selfish and not always geared to others which is why we might have reason to appeal to an exterior sense of good beyond the reason to practice virtue,
Like God observing the world, we are the observers of The Great Gatsby. According to German philosopher Immanuel Kant’s two categorical imperatives, Daisy and Jay were unethical. Kant’s categorical imperatives state; ‘Act as if your action could be elevated into universal law’ and. Based on the principles of Kant, Daisy and Jay were unethical in several ways, according to Kant’s two categorical imperatives. Daisy used people emotionally and lacked responsibility, and Jay was manipulative towards the people around him. The Great Gatsby is a great example of a society that does not abide by Kantian principles.
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN, 2009) defines dignity as treating someone as you or your family would want to be treated, when they are feeling vulnerable. According to ( Matiti & Baillie,2011) in modern world the word dignity has lost its meaning, whether it is intentionally or unintentionally, nurses have become very mechanical, trying to give care for dummies rather than human beings, who have emotions, feelings and self-respect, and not realising what impact patients will have when nurses show this kind of attitude. Patient centred care is vital for all nurses, without, discriminating against colour, gender, race, and religious beliefs. Following the code of conduct which is expected of the nurse, working according to the needs of the patients, being a good listener and respecting them. When the nurse shows dignity and respect, she/he tends to develop a therapeutic relationship with patient which in turn results in good health and rehabilitation (NMC, 2008).
“Equality is based on the idea of fairness whilst recognising that everyone is different, and diversity is about the ways in which people differ and about recognising that differences...
A theory of virtues provides explanation on what makes something a virtue and why it is considered one. The theory analyzes historical virtues that are outdated and resonate double standards, it gives reason to why these virtues should be reconsidered and redefined. We need a theory to advise us to reflect on the true meaning of virtues and how they provide us with character traits that we ought to seek and sustain. It is important to understand and acquire virtues, which determines moral traits that ultimately convey happiness in one’s life.
Diversity can have an impact on safeguarding as we have to treat everyone as individuals. Diversity is extremely important as we live in a very diverse world and people’s views around the world will all be different. One way to ensure that we treat everyone fairly and equally is to ensure nurses attend equality and diversity training, this will help to make sure that everyone is cared for fairly and individuals’ beliefs and wishes are taken into judgement.
Rights. It is ensuring that their rights are being maintained and not violated despite disability. Setting principles suggests a congruity that is inconsistent with the assurance that every resident will have the capacity to hold that distinctive and complex blend of moralities which makes us who we are. Residents should have the equal rights to live and achieve a peaceful quality of life with the help of the healthcare professionals involved in the treatment.
The term “justice” has a wide variety of definitions but, in the nursing world it is an ethical principle that is defined as: the equal and fair distribution of resources. No matter who they are, every person has the right to any and all means of medical treatment (ANA, n.d.). In order for justice to be achieved, a patient should be given fair, impartial care and having their rights as a citizens upheld (Feinsod & Wagner, 2008). Although the in knowledge of AIDS and its disease processes have grown exponentially over the decades, there are still cases of discrimination against those infected with the disease.
Todres et al (2009) stated the forms of humanisation insiderness treating people with respect recognising the patient’s skills knowledge and experiences rather than treating them as objects problems or diagnosis. Respecting the patient’s ability to make informed choices. Uniqueness treating the patient as a unique individual rather than putting them in a certain patient
By every individual accepting and acknowledging that we are all different then there will be mutual respect for each other’s cultural difference. When these differences are explored in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment, they are more than simply tolerating others but that through these differences are instead commended and embraced. People become aware of each other’s difference and uniqueness such as religion, sexual orientation, race, gender, age and beliefs. When this is embraced by the health care providers then there will be improved care.
Is virtue all we need? Virtue epistemology is the theory that all of the things we believe are done so through an ethical process. They play an important role, in that our own personal experiences and intellectual facets are what drive this process. The fundamental idea of virtue epistemology is that knowledge is a form of a more general phenomenon, namely success through abilities. Which is turn means: knowledge is a cognitive achievement through cognitive abilities (perception, memory, experience, etc.). Knowledge doesn’t need to be anything beyond a justified true belief.
Resources have always been inadequate for food, economics and healthcare and all scarce resources are rationed in one way or another. Healthcare resources can be in the forms of medicine, machinery, expensive treatment and organ transplantation. For decades, allocation of healthcare resources in an equitable manner has always been the subject of debate, concern and analysis, yet the issue has persistently resisted resolution. Scarcity of resources for healthcare and issue of allocation is permanent and inescapable (Harris, “Deciding between Patients”). Scarcity can be defined in general, in emergency and in crises as well as shortage of certain kind of treatment, medicine or organs. As a result of scarcity of resources, and some people may be left untreated or die when certain patients are prioritized and intention of is that everyone will ultimately be treated (Harris, 2009: 335). Allocation of limited resources is an ethical issue since it is vital to address the question of justice and making fair decisions. Ethical judgments and concerns are part of daily choice in allocation of health resources and also to ensure these resources are allocated in a fair and just way. This paper will explore how QALYs, ageism and responsibility in particular influence the allocation of healthcare resources in general through the lens of justice, equity, social worth, fairness, and deservingness.
Have you ever wondered how we as a society and generation have come to know so much? We have so much knowledge not because of ourselves but by wisdom and knowledge passed down by generations. We learn very important values about life by the history of this world and by people. Values are considered a guiding principle or standard of conduct such as honesty or loyalty or responsibility for others welfare (Null). The values that have been passed down to us shape and make us into the people we are today. We learn from values such as honesty and loyalty but also learn valuable lessons such as hardships. We learn most value in life from people who have orally passed them down or they have been written out for us. There are three literary works from
We live in a world full of many societal issues. The aspects that determine whether one will have a successful or unsuccessful life is due to their characteristics such as race, gender, and social status. In the book Is Everyone Really Equal, Ozlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo’s exigence is to express the following issues and to encourage the reader to work upon changing the world through social injustice, oppression, power, and community.
My philosophy of nursing is summed up in one abridged sentence; “Treat all patients the same way you would want your family members to be treated”. The implication of this statement is that patients must be given the best quality of care regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, socioeconomic status, religious preference, or whatever poor judgement they must have made which may have resulted in their need for care. Every person deserves respect and dignity, regardless of
Health Equity: Everyone is capable of achieving their fullest health potential and there are no determinants that can stop an individual from achieving them.