A foundational perspective of deontology and deontological codes through Paul Ricoeur´s “little ethics”

Paul Ricoeur's ethics comprises three distinct moments where it is possible to recognize the influences of Aristotle, Kant, Rawls and an original ricoeurian moment of practical wisdom, where the concept of phronesis is rehabilitated. When reflecting on medical practices, Ricoeur distinguishes, in continuity with his triadic ethics, three levels of judgment: the prudential and ethical level concerning the singularity of the clinical encounter that is essential for establishing a pact of trust, the formal and moral level where deontological codes emerge and the reflexive level where the two previous judgments become legitimated. Our aim with this paper is, through Paul Ricoeur´s ethics, to perspective deontology and deontological codes as a broader set of implicit philosophical and anthropological conceptions, rooted in the clinical encounter, that constitute a theoretical and foundational background for medical rules and norms.