Conversation

In the aftermath of World War I, many prominent intellectuals abandoned their commitment to universal values in favor of partisan interests. The French philosopher Julien Benda called this desertion “the treason of the clerks” (La trahision des intellectuels), with “clerks” here referring to the medieval definition of a scribe or a member of the intelligentsia. They had become ideologues, he argued, abandoning their role as independent thinkers and defenders of higher universal values. What we are witnessing today is another betrayal: this time by what could be called medical clerks, whose commitment should be first and foremost to the “art of healing.” In these times of crisis, medical doctors must refuse to be blinded by ideology and partisanship. Those who have remained silent in the face of the destruction of human life in Gaza would do well to remember the basic Hippocratic principle: “to use my power to help the sick to the best of my ability and judgment.”

https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/the-war-on-hospitals/