Response to Simarjit Shergill’s Light From Many Lamps Post (Week 6)

This is my response to Simarjit Shergill’s post Liight from many lamps, unit 6.

Hi Simarjit,

How appropriate that this was your post last week! I’m so pleased to be able to read your perspective on the Hippocratic Oath as a physician.

As you mentioned, these words were written twenty centuries ago and still holds relevance in our lives today (Shergill, 2017). I completely agree with you. However, I often think about the ever-changing morality of society and the changing standards as our culture becomes more liberal. I think I have may mentioned to you when we spoke a few weeks ago about how I sometimes struggle with incorporating my personal and religious beliefs and values into my practice as an educator.

“I will lead my life and practice my art in uprightness and honor” (Hippocrates as cited in Watson, 1988, p. 181) is a principle that depends on a personal definition of uprightness and honor. There are many controversial topics in medicine such as abortion and euthanasia. How does a physician decide how to align their personal beliefs and ethics with the Hippocratic Oath when it comes to topics such as these?

As well, in your post, you asked if other professions have similar practices. As an educator in British Columbia, in order to be certified as a teacher, we have to commit to and adhere by a set of standards set by the BC Ministry of Education. One of the standards is “Educators are role models who act ethically and honestly” (BC Ministry of Education, 2017). I believe that this standard is similar to the principle you mention in your post. If you are interested, I have included a link to the standards in my references.

Thank you for your insightful post, Simarjit!

References

Ministry of Education. (2017). Standards for the Education, Competence and Professional Conduct of Educators in BC. Retrieved from https://www.bcteacherregulation.ca/Standards/StandardsDevelopment.aspx/.

Shergill, Simarjit. (2017, October 30). Light from many lamps, unit 6. Retrieved from https://create.twu.ca/icandothis/2017/10/30/light-from-many-lamps-unit-6/#comments/.

Watson, L. E. (1988). Light from Many Lamps. New York: Simon and Schuster.