Abstract

“The Zadeh Scenario,” a wondrously rich narrative generously shared by Finder, walks the reader through the interactions of an ethics consultant during a case. In this telling, Finder appears deeply cognizant of how memories can be affected by subsequent decisions and experiences. Hence, it is important to note that many key parts of the narrative – if not all of it – were captured concurrently or in close proximity to the actual events, thereby revealing the factual and normative obscurity that unfolds over the course of an ethics consultation. Finder’s polished skills of careful attention and mindful appreciation in recounting the “doing” of an ethics consult thus provide something of an anthropological account – telling us who went where and the content of several weighty conversations – rather than what might traditionally be expected from an ethical analysis of a case presentation. We see that a rich account of the clinical engagement of a consultant is ultimately not enough to provide a holistic account of the consultant’s practice or to discern core moral considerations that emerge among divergent standpoints. Much of the information that is needed to both understand and assess the role of the consultant, the goals of consultation, and the broader societal and legal context in which ethics consultations occur lies outside the parameters of a particular case – no matter how detailed or beautifully told.