So why are we unable to acknowledge the truth? Dr. Fung’s…
““So why are we unable to acknowledge the truth? Dr. Fung’s answer is simple: we doctors lie to ourselves. If type 2 diabetes is a curable disease but all our patients are getting worse on the treatments we prescribe, then we must be bad doctors. And since we did not study for so long at such great cost to become bad doctors, this failure cannot be our fault. Instead, we must believe we are doing the best for our patients, who must unfortunately be suffering from a chronically progressive and incurable disease. It is not a deliberate lie, Dr. Fung concludes, but one of cognitive dissonance—the inability to accept a blatant truth because accepting it would be too emotionally devastating.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Doctors may deny harsh truths to protect themselves from emotional pain, leading to cognitive dissonance.
In simple terms: Doctors lie to themselves to avoid pain.
Key Takeaway
Confront uncomfortable truths directly.
Themes
medical ethics
cognitive bias
self‑deception
Mood
concerned
hopeful
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- clinical practice
- health policy debates
Key Concepts
patient care
medical education
clinical outcomes
Questions to Reflect On
- How can clinicians balance honesty with empathy?
- What systems reduce self‑deception?
A Different Perspective
Denial can worsen patient outcomes.