Review article

Religiosity and Medical Ethics

Zvonko Rumboldt orcid.org/0000-0002-6811-275X ; School of medicine, University of Split

Abstract

In this brief discussion on the relationship between faith and moral judgment in medicine, the author’s attitude is that the ethics of secular medicine should not be religion-free but open to negotiation of different spiritual and moral views in the Augustinian sense. Monotheism offers particularly valuable perspectives on the human being and moral issues. Catholicism provides transcendental content and theoretical basis for valuing human dignity: agnostics and atheists are invited at a discussion table together with all the religious people. There is little agreement as to whether religious beliefs and practices are instruments that can be used in direct service of improving health, but most will concur that individual autonomy is bounded by social obligation and sensitivity to the weak, giving preferences to virtues such as wisdom and compassion over qualities such as cleverness and good looks. Hopefully, the dialogue goes on...

Keywords

Christianity; faith; medical ethics; monotheism; moral judgment; religiosity

Hrčak ID:

127462

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/127462

Publication date:

26.9.2014.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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