Philosophy of Medicine 2e

This is an exquisitely written introduciton to diverse topics in the philosophy of medicine. Written by 2 physicians and a philosopher, the book lucidly describes and analyses topics such as rationalism and empiricism, causality, the ontological status of disease entities, and the value of social and hermeneutic approaches to medicine. Though the authors maintain a conventional-medical perspective, they avoid the typical pitfalls associated with the prevailing medical paradigm, such as an uncritical acceptance of logical-positivist methodology, the lack of attention accorded to subjective patient experience, the glorification of technology, and in general the subjugation of the philosophy of medicine to the practice of medicine, which immedicately robs such philosophy of its critical capacity. This book truly should be required reading for anyone associated with medicine in any way -- medical students, physicians, epidemiologists, medical scientists, historians of medicine, etc. Written with the general reader in mind, the authors explain basic philosophical concepts. But they go on to develop their themes with a sophistication rarely found in the philosophical literature about medicine.