Tom Tomlinson | Caring for Risky Patients: Duty or Virtue
Tomlinson argues that we need to speak of virtues and ideals, not just duty and obligation, when discussing the treatment of potentially deadly diseases like SARS and AIDs. He presents four arguments for the limits of duty, all which fail to prescribe exactly what those limits are. The language of virtues and ideals offers a different vocabulary for understanding the ethics of caring for risky patients, emphasizing the value of altruism and the use of positive models rather than punishment.
-The ___________ fails to determine whether it is an agreement between patient and professional or between patient and the profession, according to Tomlinson.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tomlinson critiques the social contract argument for failing to clarify whether the agreement is between the patient and the individual professional or between the patient and the profession as a whole.