Play along...

[tinyjo]

OK, just for fun, here is the essay question I will be answering this afternoon:

‘It is wrong to tell lies, so patients should always be told the truth about their condition.’ Is this a good argument?

I've turned off emailing comments on this and I promise not to look until I've written the essay (1000 words, in case you're interested). What do you think?

Comments

[badasstronaut.livejournal.com]

You'd wipe out a whole lot of potential placebo benefits if that was the case.

[brixtonbrood.livejournal.com]

There are many ways to use the placebo effect without lying.
A standard formulation would be
"A lot of my patients have seen real improvements after taking homeopathic tablets - is that something you'd like to try?"
And of course "real" medicine uses the placebo effect as well - it doesn't stop working just because the treatment has an objective effect of its own.