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In this paper, I address the question: "What implications does diversity have for the field of clinical ethics?" It is commonly recognized that development of clinical ethics and consultation was stimulated by the complexities associated with the value-laden nature of clinical decision making, the pluralistic character of clinical settings around the world, and the importance of patient rights in medical decision making. It is less commonly considered, however, how and why pluralism or diversity of the field itself might be an essential feature of clinical ethics as a practice. In this paper, I argue that diversity is more than an important external factor that gave impetus to the field or that provides the field much of its everyday challenges; in addition, it is an internal feature of the practice itself that needs to be understood in its own terms. The theme of diversity in clinical ethics is, of course, not new, but consideration of "internal" diversity is frequently subsumed in other concerns and not assessed fully as such.

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-18965-9_2

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