Is medical education unique among all other educational disciplines? Why does it not seem to conform to the rules laid down by universities for every other faculty? We explore the ways in which particular elements pertaining to medical education have been perceived historically and consider the ways in which medical educators and students have struggled to address the challenges that these "differences" present. The paper then identifies and enumerates areas of commonality across the spectrum of education. We conclude by suggesting that some of the "differences" and "difficulties" of education within the clinical context may be artefacts of a rather narrow and introverted approach to the subject area. We argue that the discipline may be better served by the adoption of a more eclectic and collaborative approach to educational research and practice, aimed at developing an evidence-based, theoretically robust subject area.