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Narrative as Bioethics: The “Fact” of Social Selves and the Function of Consensus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 January 2002

D. MICAH HESTER
Affiliation:
Mercer University's School of Medicine

Abstract

Several months ago, I was walking down the hallway outside our medical school faculty offices and a colleague stopped me to ask a question. He phrased his query in the context of a “hypothetical” case that raised ethical issues for him, and he asked me to respond. I obligingly offered my opinion given the details he presented, ending my comments with the phrase, “at least, that is what I would say.” To this he kindly shot back, “OK, but what is the consensus of medical ethicists?” To be honest, this question caught me off guard. Though his particular dilemma was relatively well-trod territory for many bioethicists, I had done little research on the issue and could not immediately render a response to his latter query.

Type
SPECIAL SECTION: CONSENSUS IN BIOETHICS: NEGOTIATING THE CHALLENGE OF MORAL PLURALISM
Copyright
© 2002 Cambridge University Press

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