‘The Demolition of a Man’: Lessons From holocaust literature for the teaching of nursing ethics

Abstract

The events of the Holocaust of European Jews (and others) by the Nazi state between 1939 and 1945 deserve to be remembered and studied by the nursing profession. By approaching literary texts written by Holocaust ‘survivors’ from an interpersonal dimension, a reading of such works can develop an ‘ethic of responsibility’. By focusing on such themes as rationality, duty, witness and the virtues, potential lessons for nurses working with people in a variety of settings can be drawn. Implications for the teaching of nursing ethics are made in the areas of the virtues, relationships, professional ethics and the moral community of nursing.