Encountering the Other in the Digital Sphere: Emmanuel Levinas' "Ethics of the Face" and the Implications for Virtual Healthcare Ethics in Contemporary Society.

The rise of virtual healthcare presents new ethical challenges, particularly regarding the quality and nature of patient-provider relationships. French philosopher Emmanuel Levinas' ethics of the face, which centers on the ethical responsibility of encountering the Other, offers a profound lens for examining these challenges. This philosophical exploration explores how the digital mediation of patient interactions in virtual healthcare affects the ethical encounter described by Levinas. We argue that while virtual healthcare can enhance accessibility, it risks diminishing the relational depth critical to healthcare ethics. As a proposal, this study outlines strategies for integrating Levinasian principles into virtual healthcare practices to emphasize empathy and attentiveness and acknowledge the patient's irreducible humanity, even through technological interfaces. Lastly, this paper calls for rethinking virtual healthcare to preserve the ethical command of responsibility toward the Other.