The importance of college education
As society has evolved, the instruction and socialization of youth has fallen more and more to the formal institutions we refer to as secondary and post-secondary education. This is not to say that higher education is a substitute for the training that families provide, but it is to assert that college is an important adjunct to the socialization and preparation of youth. College completion is a values-based endeavor that is reflected in the present and in the future—on the one hand, focused on the fabric of society, and on the other hand, gainful employment that contributes to one's own welfare—and that of one's family—and to society as a whole. College both informs and strengthens the path to achieving my goals. And a college education has the potential to help me develop into the kind of person that I want to be, and to accomplish meaningful contributions.
Miller, W. (1985). Herkovits v. Group Health
The 21st century has brought a great number of changes to the medical paradigm, however. As the population ages, there are more and more people requiring care; and more who have or are experiencing debilitating conditions that, up to now, have had no medical or pharmacological treatment. The contemporary physician, therefore must respect patient value and individuality, the education of the patient, as well as provide the best service possible under the realities of contemporary medical care. At times, this may result in working with an experimental procedure or drug that may not have predictable effects and may actually go against the medical paradigm of "do no harm," while staying to the letter of the ethical maxim of "intentionally do no harm"