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Yakk · 07-26-2005, 06:44 AM

First of all, I do not believe in the existence of an ethical oracle. "Good" and "Evil" do not form a distinct set. While there are acts you can say are "Good" and acts you can say are "Evil", this does not mean that for every you can tell if it is "Good" or "Evil".

Believing you have a moral or ethical oracle is an "Evil" in my experience.

Secondly, note that organ transplants are band-aids, not cures, for the most part. So your example is not good, because it ignores life-span issues.

Thirdly, you are ignoring secondary effects. If you kill one patient to save 5 others, nobody will ever trust you again as their Doctor -- for good reason. And more importantly, people will trust Doctors less.

This is why Doctors need to follow the 'first, do no harm' rule. Because if you trust your Doctor to 'first do no harm', then you can put yourself under his knife.

This is roughly the same reason as why a Lawyer, acting as a Lawyer, should not tell the police that the person she is representing is a murderer.

The long term societal benefit of the Lawyer or Doctor acting in particular ways, and the structure it provides to society and to the interactions of society with those professions, is a huge factor that cannot be ignored if you expect to get an answer that makes any sense.

07-26-2005, 06:44 AM	#22 (permalink)
Yakk Wehret Den Anfängen! Location: Ontario, Canada	First of all, I do not believe in the existence of an ethical oracle. "Good" and "Evil" do not form a distinct set. While there are acts you can say are "Good" and acts you can say are "Evil", this does not mean that for every you can tell if it is "Good" or "Evil". Believing you have a moral or ethical oracle is an "Evil" in my experience. Secondly, note that organ transplants are band-aids, not cures, for the most part. So your example is not good, because it ignores life-span issues. Thirdly, you are ignoring secondary effects. If you kill one patient to save 5 others, nobody will ever trust you again as their Doctor -- for good reason. And more importantly, people will trust Doctors less. This is why Doctors need to follow the 'first, do no harm' rule. Because if you trust your Doctor to 'first do no harm', then you can put yourself under his knife. This is roughly the same reason as why a Lawyer, acting as a Lawyer, should not tell the police that the person she is representing is a murderer. The long term societal benefit of the Lawyer or Doctor acting in particular ways, and the structure it provides to society and to the interactions of society with those professions, is a huge factor that cannot be ignored if you expect to get an answer that makes any sense. __________________ Last edited by JHVH : 10-29-4004 BC at 09:00 PM. Reason: Time for a rest. Last edited by Yakk; 07-26-2005 at 06:45 AM.. Reason: Changed "for any" to "for every"