Virtue In Paul Ramsey's Preface To The Patient As Person

As a student at Southern Methodist University, I have acquired knowledge from requisite classes to not only better myself, but also for the betterment of my community. I feel, as apart of the human race, that we should continue to strive for an enhanced community by gaining information from other humans. However, in order for this greater sense of community to occur, we must realize there are morals to withstand. Socrates posed the question “have we learned how to teach virtue?” I believe that it is a work in progress. Although, ethics did not have a primary role in society until the mid twentieth century, I feel that we are making progress leaps and bounds to achieve this goal in a short amount of time. After reading ethicists Paul Ramsey and Joseph Fletcher’s words many questions were raised that would seem to have contradicting answers. Therefore, other ethicists and students are obligated to lean toward one side or the other.

In Paul Ramsey’s preface to The Patient as Person, we get a clear depiction of where he stands on ethics today. Ramsey says that it is important to keep the covenant between man and man and man and God. The covenant between man and man is that men need to have a kind of faithfulness to each other that is righteous (Pg. 53). For example, when you visit the doctor

He believes if you can bring better people in the world by tampering with genes, then we should do it. He even admits to playing God. It is people like Fletcher that God warns us about. 1 Samuel 15:19 says, "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you…” Instead of asking God what to do with the knowledge that came from Him, we neglect to ask Him in fear of God saying no to our ideas. It is all about control and Fletcher wants nothing to do with what God has to