| Disease and Diagnosis: Value-Dependent Realism 1999 Edition Contributor(s): Stempsey, William E. (Author) |
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ISBN: 079236029X ISBN-13: 9780792360292 Publisher: Springer OUR PRICE: $161.49 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: November 1999 Annotation: This is a book about the concept of disease and the philosophy of diagnosis. The author proposes value-dependent realism' as a way to show how value judgements can be foundational for the practice of diagnosis without losing the sense that diseases are real entities. In the light of contemporary philosophy of science, the idea that there is a strict separation between fact and value is no longer tenable. Hence, all scientific facts have a value component. The concept of disease is itself a value-laden concept. Furthermore, when we create classifications of disease, we introduce more values. Finally, the diagnostic process necessarily involves making value judgments. This book situates the practice of diagnosis in a new vision of how values permeate the world of disease and medical practice. It will be of interest to philosophers of medicine, value theorists, bioethicists, and physicians. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Medical | Diagnosis - Philosophy | Ethics & Moral Philosophy - Medical | Ethics |
| Dewey: 616.075 |
| LCCN: 99052037 |
| Series: Philosophy and Medicine |
| Physical Information: 0.94" H x 6" W x 9" (1.50 lbs) 330 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The germs of the ideas in this book became implanted in me during my experience as a resident in clinical pathology at Boston University Medical Center. At the time, I had inklings that the test results churned out by our laboratories were more than scientific facts. As a philosophically unsophisticated young physician, however, I had no language or framework to analyze what I saw as a deep philosophical problem, a problem largely unrecognized by most physicians. The test results provided by our laboratories were accurate and of great practical importance for patient care. However, most of the physicians who relied on our test results to diagnose and treat their patients either did not have the time or interest to consider the philosophical issues inherent in diagnosis, or, like me, had inadequate means to further analyze them. It was more than ten years later that I began doctoral studies in philosophy, and I was fortunate to find a faculty that was supportive ofmy efforts to address the problem. This book began as my doctoral dissertation in the Department of Philosophy at Georgetown University. I would like to acknowledge the assistance of my mentor, Robert Veatch, Ph. D. Our conversations during my Georgetown years led me in new and often fascinating directions. I would also like to acknowledge the help of Kenneth Schaffner, M. D., Ph. D. |