József Kovács, MD, PhD, DSc: Physician-Bioethicist, Psychotherapist, Professor Emeritus, Chief Physician
I graduated from Semmelweis University’s Faculty of General Medicine, and then obtained a degree in philosophy from Eötvös Loránd University’s Faculty of Humanities. My entire professional career has been at the intersection of medicine and philosophy. I first specialized in social medicine (public health). The population-level approach to health, which theoretically includes the integration of an evolutionary perspective into medicine, remains an important starting point for me. I then specialized in psychotherapy (cognitive and behavioral therapy), an approach that shows many similarities to ancient Stoic philosophy. I fundamentally treat patients from a cognitive-behavioral therapy perspective, incorporating schema therapy. However, the philosophical perspective, which has grown into a distinct subject (philosophical counseling) and which I have strived to establish in Hungary, often proves to be of great assistance in patient care.
Another frontier between philosophy and medicine is bioethics, a modern form of traditional medical ethics. I have endeavored to introduce the achievements of the Anglo-Saxon bioethical tradition to Hungary and contribute internationally to the development of bioethics. I developed the curriculum for domestic medical-bioethics education and authored several textbooks to ground this curriculum. These have been widely used for decades in Hungarian medical education, as well as in other higher education institutions. I was able to participate in numerous health-related legislative processes, including the creation of the entire Act CLIV of 1997 (Health Act). I also conceptualized the patient rights section of this act and drafted its text prior to codification, utilizing the patient rights chapter from my already completed textbook. Consequently, the act verbatim incorporates formulations from the first edition of my book on numerous points. During the preparation of the act, many debates took place concerning patient advocates.
With a foundational support, I played a role in the pilot testing of the patient advocate institution in Hungary and, following its success, in its introduction into the Health Act and later into domestic practice.
I have been involved in higher education since the beginning of my career. My motto has always been Plutarch’s advice: “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.” On the other hand, Kant’s definition of enlightenment has been a guiding principle for me: “Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-imposed infancy. Infancy is the inability to use one’s own understanding without another’s guidance. … Sapere aude! Have courage to use your own understanding! – that is the motto of enlightenment.” I have always strived to ensure that the life-or-death issues that bioethics literally deals with can be discussed with appropriate seriousness, relying on reason. Frigyes Karinthy writes: it is a mistake to write about what interests the reader. On the contrary… A good writer must show what interests the reader. In other words, the reader must realize that what they previously thought was indifferent to them is actually deeply interesting. Accordingly, I have also strived to help students see that bioethical problems interest them, and I have tried to ignite in them the desire for independent thought and research. I have felt that this has been successful with many of my excellent students. Their enthusiasm, their seriousness befitting the weight of the problems, and their commitment are the greatest rewards of my teaching career.