If lifeboat ethics sinks, will bioethics drown? In Thieves of Virtue, Tom Koch incisively exposes the myths and mystifications fostered by bioethics, unpacking not only the philosophical inconsistencies but equally the critical externalities—both theoretical and factual—that are conveniently masked and bracketed by the discipline. He convincingly demonstrates that bioethics crafted a mythos of scarcity, covertly allying itself with neoliberal economics, at the expense of the moral core of medicine and well-being of persons and patients, especially those with disabilities. This book provides an important new account of bioethics for serious scholars as well as for students new to the field.
M. Therese Lysaught, Department of Theology, Marquette University
In Thieves of Virtue Tom Koch compares the 2,500-year-old Hippocratic Oath with the medical ethics proposed to replace it by contemporary bioethicists. It's not just that he finds the new ethics wanting: Koch makes it clear that it is ethics at all in only the narrowest, most technical sense. His painstaking, case-by-notorious-case critique is devastating. His dispassion may not allow him to say it, but I can: as currently advocated, bioethics is simply unethical.
Denis Wood, author of Everything Sings
An original, well-researched, and provocative book. Thieves of Virtue offers a fundamental and probing critique of the core premises undergirding contemporary bioethical theory in its several forms. Tom Koch's investigation suggests that the roots of bioethics are deeply problematic, and require thorough reassessment.
Walter Wright, Professor of Philosophy, Clark University
I'm overwhelmingly impressed by Thieves of Virtue. I've been worrying about the direction that bioethics has taken over the years, and Koch's book has put this into words much better than anyone I know. A remarkable piece of work.
Harry R. Moody, Vice President and Director of Academic Affairs, AAR
Koch provides and interesting history of bioethics.
London School of Economics Review of Books
Koch's book is thought provoking and raises important issues….valuable critique of dominant bioethics theories.
Review of Politics
An important book….a robust, refreshing and informed reflection….grippingly readable.
Social History of Medicine
A brilliant and insightful critique.
Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons
