La démarche éthique comme conscience et courage collectifs

In order to understand the way in which ethics work, it is necessary to differentiate an ethical approach from a moralistic one. The distinction between these two possibilities has become integrated into current usage over the last decencies, even though the two terms were originally interchangeable; one being the translation of the other. This distinction would be irrelevant if a fundamental difference of conception were not at stake between two postures which are quite distinct and complementary, but which can at times be opposed. It seems important to identify them as clearly as possible in order to understand the necessity and the specificity of ethics. Our analysis of the role of ethics will bring us to define it, as does Aristotle, as the human capacity of seeking an underlying universalistic point of view in relation to each specific individual clinical case, and to aim not for a rational, but for a reasonable understanding by means of the collective confrontation of points of view. This does not involve the relativity of values, but rather the admission of the paradox of their absolute necessity. It involves the refusal to abandon the collective courage, which enables us to become aware of the implications of our present approach to care and research and to assume our responsibility towards humanity.