Care, between humanism and science

Abstract

Contemporary technical and scientific breakthroughs appear to point to an idea of progress. However, can we really speak of progress, or do these breakthroughs perhaps not have human implications? In the latter case, what might be the repercussions? This reflection would be impossible to answer these questions in just one article, the purpose of thisessay is to investigate advances in healthcare and, specifically, how healthcare professionals approach these problems. To this end, it is essential to outline that the scientific view of the world, while it may promise that its findings and their applications will lead to progress, only accelerates the march toward a dehumanized future in which the human being is a simple object controlled by a biopolitical power. The above is a step toward a society of people deprived of both a meaning of life and ethics, people who prioritize having over being—a society that promotes new habits and establishes new lifestyles that become recognized as legitimate customs. This new human being, individualized and alienated, has disregarded the most fundamental aspects of life. Therefore, it is essential for us to reclaim being. As healthcare professionals, we must not see our patients as simple objects of study; instead, we must view each person with empathy as they suffer and enjoy their way through a worrying but incredible life. Only by doing this will we find progress without forgetting the importance of the human being.