The Philosophical Foundations of Modern Medicine

by Lee, Keekok

• ISBN13: 9780230348295
• ISBN10: 0230348297
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-01-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

An exploration of the philosophical foundation of modern medicine which explains why such a medicine possesses the characteristics it does and where precisely its strengths as well as its weaknesses lie. Written in plain English, it should be accessible to anyone who is intellectually curious, lay persons and medical professionals alike.

Author Biography

KEEKOK LEE is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, UK. Her research interests include environmental philosophy, philosophy of technology, and the relationship between the environment and technology from the ontological perspective. Her recent publications include: Philosophy and Genetic Revolutions (2005); Zoos: A Philosophical Tour (2006); Homo Faber: The Unity of the History of Technology and the Philosophy of Technology (2008); and Towards Constructing Post-postmodern 21st Century Sciences: The Relevance of Classical Chinese Medicine (forthcoming).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART I
Philosophical Foundations
Modern Philosophy, Modern Science and Its Methodology
Category Volte-face: Organisms for Machines
Machines and Reductionism
Organism A Machine
PART II
Human Organism is Machine: MEDICINE
Biomedicine: Some Sciences
Biomedicine: Some Technologies
PART III
Nosology: The Monogenic Conception of Disease
Linear Causality and the Monogenic Conception of Disease
Determining the Cause: Controllability and Random Controlled Trials
Epidemiology: 'Cinderella' Status? What Kind of Science Is It Really?
Conclusion
Notes
References and Select Bibliography
Index