Vertus du patient et éthique des vertus

The virtue ethics in medical ethics essentially deals with the caregiver's virtues and pays little attention to the patient's virtues. However, the study of the ill person's virtues - facing illness - and of the patient's virtues - in the framework of his relationship with the caregiver and the medical institution - plays a key role both in the ethics of autonomy and in the ethics of vulnerability. It contributes to give back to the sick person and to the patient an agent status. It allows to take the ill person's point of view, the vulnerable one's point of view and to consider the care relationship from the other term's perspective: the cared-for one. This paper aims to explore the nature and the modalities of the ill person's virtues facing illness and of the patient's virtues in the relationship with the caregiver.