Page 46 - Contribution To Phenomenology

Chapter 1

Phenomenology and the Clinical Event

Richard M. Zaner
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Abstract Attention to the clinical event for its own sake and as an
exemplification are distinguished. Several of its essential features are
delineated: situational and contextual determinants, complex
asymmetry, inherently moral character, and reflexive nature of any
clinical event Dialogue is suggested as illuminating each of these
features.

Over the past ten or more years, I've often been asked to consult on
individual cases. Which means that I am seen, and have served, as an
"ethicisf* At the same time, these and other facets of health care have
attracted my philosophical interests. Accordingly, a distinction is helpful.
To consult as an ethicist on any case is to be focused on the individual
situation (people, setting, circumstances, issues, etc.) itself, for its own
sake. The consultant's concerns are strictly therapeutic: attempting, for
instance, to help a couple understand what they face when they are
confronted with a highly problematic pregnancy, or to assist a family
when continued treatment for one of their members is thought to be
futile. The ethics consultant seeks to help such people become more
aware of their own moral views so that they can more likely reach
decisions commensurate with those views.
On the other hand, such clinical encounters may also be submitted
to philosophical reflection—^which will concern me here—^whether to gain
better purchase on ethics or some other matter. This and other examples
of clinical encounters are considered strictly as examples in order to make
certain common themes prominent. In turn, these themes may be
systematically considered in further reflective work, leading ultimately to

39
M. Daniel and L. Embree (eds.), Phenomenology of the Cultural Disciplines, 39-66.
© 1994 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.