Philosophy 593M - S-Philosophy of Medicine

Medicine is an institution that is crucial to the functioning of all societies. This course explores topics that are key to understanding the epistemology and metaphysics of medicine. We will begin with discussing the concept of disease and the challenges involved in defining "health." Next, we will consider "holism" versus "reductionism" in medicine, as well historically controversial diseases. We will then move on to interrogating the use of evidence in medicine, including the privileged status of randomized control trials (RCTs), the hierarchy of evidence, and where evidence of mechanisms should fall within this hierarchy. We will end with problematizing diversity and variability in medicine related to gender, race, disability, and the prospects of personalizing medicine to an individual's unique characteristics.

2 PHIL courses