ABSTRACT
A Socratic Dialogue begins with a general question, like the one Socrates asks in the Euthyphro, 'What is piety?' Note that both Socrates and Euthyphro are at the law court for urgent personal reasons. Despite an increasing literature about virtue in the professions and, more particularly, in the clinical professions such as medicine and nursing, the branches of applied ethics that are relevant to clinical practice are dominated by what has been called a 'principlist' approach. The objective of the phase of the Dialogue is to permit each participant to understand the incident in sufficient detail in order to imagine themselves in it. It would be a mistake for the group to explore Isabel's judgement about, and understanding of, human dignity, which are implicit in her offering the example. Everyday virtue, the ability of most people to act well most of the time, is based on an everyday wisdom which it is appropriate for philosophers to respect.
