Ethics

Our man from Pluto reminds us to put up more teaching on medical ethics in the curriculum. (Of course it is a request from other extra-terrestrials outside the solar system.)

It sounds as if ethics is another textbook and you can learn all these by reading it from cover to cover. Does anyone become more ethical after attending some of these lectures ?

You know what, "business ethics" is a major topic in many MBA courses. Don't laugh. The aim of this subject is NOT to teach the candidates what is (ethically) right and wrong; it simply explains what common ethical problems - in the field of business - are, and what ethical implications do many business decisions often bring along.

Of course doctors should have a higher standard of ethics than businessman (although many of the former are the latter in disguise, I know). But the standard could not be achieved by lectures. Decades ago there was no one in our sister medical school across the harbour teaching ethics - students just followed the practice of Professor McFadzean, Sir David Todd, and so forth. Now, judging from the demonstrations around, are we coming to the conclusion that there should not be double ethical standard across different fields, and we should just behave like businessman ?

PS. I am not against rich people, and I have all my respect to Andrew Carnegie and Warren Buffet. But my face would be all red - and many of my classmates would develop projectile vomiting - if the man who teaches us ethics later turns out to be another Spitzer.