Hippocrates and the Ethical Foundations of Medicine

Picture: The ruins of Pergamon, with the Asclepion where Hippocrates started his works.

Timeless Wisdom Lecture Series

Hippocrates and the Ethical Foundations of Medicine

More than two thousand years ago, Hippocrates elevated the art of healing into a moral covenant. He taught that medicine is not only about curing disease, but also about protecting human dignity and serving humanity with compassion. His famous Oath—invoked across cultures and generations—remains a testament to the physician’s sacred duty: to do no harm, to act with integrity, and to place the well-being of the patient above all else.

This lecture will explore the origins of medical ethics in Hippocratic thought and trace how these timeless principles continue to form the foundation of modern medicine. We will also examine parallels between Hippocrates’ teachings and the moral traditions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, each of which views the healer not merely as a technician but as a guardian of moral responsibility.

In our own era, medicine faces profound challenges—from biotechnology and artificial intelligence to genetic engineering and global disparities in healthcare. The pace of innovation often outstrips ethical reflection, making Hippocrates’ legacy more urgent than ever. His vision of medicine as a moral calling reminds us that progress without ethics risks reducing patients to data points, rather than honoring them as human beings.

🗓 Date: Monday, November 16, 2026
🕐 Time: 15:00 CST
🎙 Speaker: Professor Anthony Vintzileos, MD
📍 Organizer of the Series: Hellenic Cultural Center of the Southwest (HCC-SW)
📍 Lecture Sponsor: Federation of Hellenic Medical Associations of North America (FHMANA)

Join us for this thought-provoking lecture in the Timeless Wisdom series, an international program of the Hellenic Cultural Center of the Southwest. Together, we will rediscover why Hippocrates’ vision of ethical medicine remains a living compass for the present and the future—calling us to unite science with conscience, healing with justice, and medicine with humanity.

Please Note: The registration will take place at the facilitator organization: https://hcc-sw.org/events/calendar/314-hippocrates-and-the-ethical-foundations-of-medicine/individual-registration