Essays by Thomasma and ten Have recommend hermeneutical clinical ethic
s. The use Thomasma makes of hermeneutics is not radical enough becaus
e it leaves out basic interpretation of clinical practice and focuses
narrowly on ethical principles and rules. Ten Have, while failing to n
otice that the hyperreality of clinical ethics is a feature of all lan
guage, rightly distinguishes four characteristic parameters of a thoro
ughgoing interpretive clinical ethics: experience, attitudes and emoti
ons, community, and ambiguity. Suggestions are made for implementing h
ermeneutical ethics in clinical teaching.