Publication Date:
2017-04-04
Description:
The Oath of Hippocrates is the first and the most popular moral code for the physicians. Throughout varying historical
fortunes, from its almost complete oblivion in the Middle Age to its rediscovery and high recognition in the
Renaissance, the Oath, written in the second half of the fifth century B.C., continues today to be pledged in many
Faculties and Schools of Medicine and in many professional associations throughout the world, both keeping to the
original text or one of the modernized versions. It is widely regarded as a cornerstone of the medical approach.
Historically, the Oath of Hippocrates marks the first sharp changeover to a rational approach to the illness and to the
human health; for this reason it is reserved only to people who is able to operate because of their scientific
knowledge of medicine. Human healt and defence against the illness always are seen as one of the basic goods of
Mankind; so, the Oath enforces the ethical duty of a rational and positive use of the power possessed by the
individuals because of their capability to apply scientific knowledge on the other men, becoming patients.
Every oath entails a personal moral engagement. But, the public Hippocratic Oath swarn by the physicians over the
world has marked through the centuries the awareness of an assignment of universal value, that goes well beyond
the professional duty, becoming a mission that calls for the total willingness to operate in art and consciousness
where and when need arises.
The awareness of the sacred value of the Human life is profoundly rooted in every man. The awareness of the value
of our planet as the unique and often not renewable resource for Human life has emerged rather recently and not yet
on a worldwide scale. Also the understanding of the planet as a living system, with its natural and unavoidable
processes, including those (geo-hazards) with dangerous effects for man, is anything but widespread and well
established. And, only now governments are reaching a greater appreciation of the guiding role of the scientific
approach for the management of our planet, of its health and for the defense against dangerous events.
From that derives the special responsibility of those who possess the knowledge of the geological processes and the
power arising from (or, better, which ought to arise from) it; this responsibility goes beyond a merely correct
professional conduct.
Geologist is like a physician. He or she are ethically involved; he or she must be fully and consciously engaged,
wherever and whenever geological knowledge can provide a contribution to solving problems linked to the sustainable
use/management of land and the Earth’s resources. This means to be ready to go beyond geologist’s professional
duty and economic convenience, willing to counter any political, industrial and social interests conflicting with the
health of the planet; being conscious that the latter, in the short or long time, represents the real interest of the
society; aiming to assure a harmonic interaction between geologists, governments and population, in considering the
cost-benefit ratio, the technological capabilities, and the public media.
For these reasons, the authors, who are members of the recently set up Commission of Geoethics of the FIST (Italian
Federation of Earth Sciences), consider it useful to submit to the Italian geological community the proposal for the
introduction of a voluntary Hippocratic Oath for geologists, through which they would solemnly and publicly declare
their consciousness to be the repository of the geological knowledge and of its entailed ethical duty.
Description:
Published
Description:
Torino
Description:
5.9. Formazione e informazione
Description:
open
Keywords:
Hippocratic Oath
;
Geologists
;
Geoethics
;
05. General::05.03. Educational, History of Science, Public Issues::05.03.99. General or miscellaneous
;
05. General::05.09. Miscellaneous::05.09.99. General or miscellaneous
Repository Name:
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)
Type:
Abstract
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