Integrity and the Moral Gestalt: Zaner Tells his Mother’s Story

Abstract

Richard Zaner is brilliant and eccentric. When I first met him in the early 1990s, he wore purple spectacles like some beloved wizard from Harry Potter. He is something of a wizard, in fact. I studied clinical ethics with Dick while pursuing my Masters in Theological Studies and doctoral degrees at Vanderbilt University. I quickly learned that, unlike some philosophers who are dismissive of theological argument and reflection, Zaner relished the opportunity to both understand theological perspectives and to coax us to unpack our taken-for-granted values. What made him such a remarkable mentor was that the philosophical questioning and debate embodied and enacted his genuine care for us. Dick’s teaching became a way to nurture each of us in our unique circumstances. He asked us to excavate our deepest commitments, both for the intellectual honesty that such an exercise demands and in recognition of our own vulnerability and the vulnerability of the patients and families we would meet.