do no harm en · VERB
Etymology
Calque of Latin prīmum nōn nocēre.
Meanings
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To perform no actions which will be injurious or in any way unfavorable to another person, regardless of whether one does anything of positive benefit for that other person.
"Oh, make your mind easy! I shall do no harm, if I do no good."
1889, Wilkie Collins, chapter 51, in The Legacy of Cain:[G]et government out of the gambling business. . . . These officials pervert public policy, which should at least do no harm.
1999 March 29, William Safire, “Essay”, in New York Times, retrieved 18 Aug 2014:Hence, some people consider non-maleficence to be the most basic of all the cardinal principles of ethics; it lays down the least minimum condition for ethical correctness, as if to say: "even if you would not do good, at least do no harm."
2012, A. Bame Nsamenang, editor, Handbook of African Educational Theories and Practices, →ISBN, page 100:A doctor's principle code is, "First, do no harm."
2008 December 20, Judith D. Schwartz, “Making Hospitals Greener — and Patients Healthier”, in Time, retrieved 18 Aug 2014:First, consider the moral minimum, do no harm.
2005, Patricia Illingworth, Trusting Medicine: The Moral Costs of Managed Care, Routledge, →ISBN, page 100:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| doing no harm | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| done no harm | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| did no harm | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| does no harm | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |
Relateds
beneficence · nonmaleficence · primum non nocere · nonharmful