{"product_id":"thieves-of-virtue-isbn-9780262526784","title":"Thieves of Virtue","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn argument against the “lifeboat ethic” of contemporary bioethics that views medicine as a commodity rather than a tradition of care and caring.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003eBioethics emerged in the 1960s from a conviction that physicians and researchers needed the guidance of philosophers in handling the issues raised by technological advances in medicine. It blossomed as a response to the perceived doctor-knows-best paternalism of the traditional medical ethic and today plays a critical role in health policies and treatment decisions. Bioethics claimed to offer a set of generally applicable, universally accepted guidelines that would simplify complex situations. In \u003ci\u003eThieves of Virtue\u003c\/i\u003e, Tom Koch contends that bioethics has failed to deliver on its promises. Instead, he argues, bioethics has promoted a view of medicine as a commodity whose delivery is predicated not on care but on economic efficiency.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the heart of bioethics, Koch writes, is a “lifeboat ethic” that assumes “scarcity” of medical resources is a natural condition rather than the result of prior economic, political, and social choices. The idea of natural scarcity requiring ethical triage signaled a shift in ethical emphasis from patient care and the physician's responsibility for it to neoliberal accountancies and the promotion of research as the preeminent good. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe solution to the failure of bioethics is not a new set of simplistic principles. Koch points the way to a transformed medical ethics that is humanist, responsible, and defensible.\u003c\/p\u003eI'm overwhelmingly impressed by \u003ci\u003eThieves of Virtue\u003c\/i\u003e. I've been worrying about the direction that bioethics has taken over the years, and Koch's book has put this into words much better than anyone I know. A remarkable piece of work.—\u003cb\u003eHarry R. Moody\u003c\/b\u003e, Vice President and Director of Academic Affairs, AAR—\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eKoch provides and interesting history of bioethics.\u003c\/p\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLondon School of Economics Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e—\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eKoch's book is thought provoking and raises important issues….valuable critique of dominant bioethics theories.\u003c\/p\u003e—\u003ci\u003eReview of Politics\u003c\/i\u003e—\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn important book….a robust, refreshing and informed reflection….grippingly readable.\u003c\/p\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSocial History of Medicine\u003c\/i\u003e—\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eA brilliant and insightful critique.\u003c\/p\u003e—\u003ci\u003eJournal of American Physicians and Surgeons\u003c\/i\u003e—Tom Koch is Adjunct Professor of Medical Geography at the University of British Columbia, a consultant in ethics and gerontology at Alton Medical Centre, Toronto, and Director of Information Outreach, Ltd. He is the author of fourteen previous books, including \u003ci\u003eThieves of Virtue: When Bioethics Stole Medicine\u003c\/i\u003e (MIT Press).","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302992662757,"sku":"NP9780262526784","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262526784.jpg?v=1767742433","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/thieves-of-virtue-isbn-9780262526784","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}