Philosophy of Medicine

Erscheinungsjahr 2019
ISBN: 978-0-19-061213-9
Verlag: ACADEMIC

Buch, Englisch, 296 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 157 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 582 g

Philosophy of Medicine asks two central questions about medicine: what is it, and what should we think of it? Philosophy of medicine itself has evolved in response to developments in the philosophy of science, especially with regard to epistemology, positioning it to make contributions that are medically useful. This book locates these developments within a larger framework, suggesting that much philosophical thinking about medicine contributes to answering one or both of these two guiding questions.

Taking stock of philosophy of medicine's present place in the landscape and its potential to illuminate a wide range of areas, from public health to policy, Alex Broadbent introduces various key topics in the philosophy of medicine. The first part of the book argues for a novel view of the nature of medicine, arguing that medicine should be understood as an inquiry into the nature and causes of health and disease. Medicine excels at achieving understanding, but not at translating this understanding into cure, a frustration that has dogged the history of medicine and continues to the present day.

The second part of the book explores how we ought to consider medicine. Contemporary responses, such as evidence-based medicine and medical nihilism, tend to respond by fixing high standards of evidence. Broadbent rejects these approaches in favor of Medical Cosmopolitanism, or a rejection of epistemic relativism and pluralism about medicine that encourages conversations between medical traditions. From this standpoint, Broadbent opens the way to embracing alternative medicine.

An accessible and user-friendly guide, Philosophy of Medicine puts these different debates into perspective and identifies areas that demand further exploration.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Broadbent

Broadbent, Alex

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Ethik, Moralphilosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Philosophie: Allgemeines, Methoden
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Wissenschaftstheorie, Wissenschaftsphilosophie
• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Medizin, Gesundheitswesen Medizinische Ethik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

- Introduction

- Part A. What Is Medicine?

- 1. Varieties of Medicine

- 2. The Goal of Medicine

- 3. The Business of Medicine

- 4. Health and Disease

- Part B. What Should We Think of Medicine?

- 5. Evidence-Based Medicine

- 6. Medical Nihilism

- 7. Medical Cosmopolitanism

- 8. Alternatives and Medical Dissidence

- 9. Decolonizing Medicine

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Über Autor(innen)

Alex Broadbent is Professor of Philosophy, Executive Dean of Humanities, and founding Director of the African Centre for Epistemology and Philosophy of Science at the University of Johannesburg. He has interests in philosophy of science, medicine, epidemiology, and law. This is his third book.