A revival of Aristotelian thinking with regard to morality, in particular the idea of virtue ethics, has been in the ascendance for the past twenty years, and now forms the basis of a theory of morality which challenges the dominant utilitarian and deontological schools of thought. These two principal theories have shaped the ideas underpinning the teaching and practical application of medical ethics for the second half of the last century, and into the current one1. Whether or not the resurgence of virtue theory in philosophical circles should lead to a questioning of this status quo in medical ethics is open to discussion, and this essay aims to evaluate this debate.

The ascendance of utilitarianism has its roots in the scientific revolution of the 19th and 20th centuries, and depends on the classification and measurements of the outcome of an action in terms of consequent happiness and unhappiness...