Handbook of the Philosophy of Medicine

Annotation This is the first wide-ranging, multi-authored handbook in the field of philosophy of medicine, covering the underlying conceptual issues of many important social, political and ethical issues in health care. It introduces and develops over 70 topics, concepts, and issues in the field. It is written by distinguished specialists from multiple disciplines, including philosophy, health sciences, nursing, sociology, political theory, and medicine. Many difficult social and ethical issues in health care are based on conceptual problems, most prominently on the definitions of health and disease, or on epistemological issues regarding causality or diagnosis. Philosophy is the discipline that deals with such conceptual, metaphysical, epistemological, methodological, and axiological matters. This handbook covers all the central concepts in medicine, such as ageing, death, disease, mental disorder, and well-being. It is an invaluable source for laypeople, academics with an interest in medicine, and health care specialists who want be informed and up to date with the relevant discussions. The text also advances these debates and will set the agenda for years to come Philosophy of medicine is thought of today as a distinct discipline with its own set of concerns. This title focuses on all major aspects of the philosophy of medicine and the attempts of philosophers, bioethicists, and physicians to address its unique set of problems and questions. It deals with the various metaphysical, ethical and practical problems and questions facing modern medicine such as human nature and mind; reductionism and holism; causation and etiology; notions of disease, health, illness and disability; ageing, death and suicide; medical theory and models; social determinants of health and the role of factors such as technology and evidence-based medicine in providing valid diagnostic and therapeutic knowledge Front Matter....Pages i-xix Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Front Matter....Pages 3-15 Front Matter....Pages 17-28 Front Matter....Pages 29-43 Front Matter....Pages 45-63 Front Matter....Pages 65-82 Front Matter....Pages 83-92 Front Matter....Pages 93-108 Front Matter....Pages 109-120 Front Matter....Pages 121-128 Back Matter....Pages 129-145 ....Pages 147-158 Dealing with each aspect of the philosophy of medicine, this handbook provides a readership ranging from physicians to policymakers with authoritative coverage of everything from core philosophical questions to the latest thinking on the use of technology