Related Experiment Videos
Is medicine hermeneutics all the way down?
1University of Texas Health Center, Division of Cardiology, Tyler 75710.
Theoretical Medicine
|June 1, 1994
Summary
Hermeneutics, a literary criticism method, may offer valuable insights into medicine. This essay explores its potential, examining critiques of positivist medicine and potential consequences like relativism.
Area of Science:
- Philosophy of Medicine
- Medical Humanities
- Epistemology
Background:
- Recent publications suggest hermeneutics, a method of literary criticism, could be beneficial in medicine.
- The essay addresses the provocative claim that medicine is fundamentally a hermeneutic practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the application of hermeneutics in medicine.
- To examine the anti-positivist critique of contemporary medical practices.
- To analyze the potential consequences of applying hermeneutics universally in medicine.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical analysis of hermeneutics and its application to medicine.
- Critique of positivist approaches in medical theory and practice.
- Examination of concepts such as phronesis and medical "texts".
Main Results:
- Hermeneutic interpretation offers a radical critique of modern medicine, extending beyond anti-positivist viewpoints.
- Consequences often associated with hermeneutical universalism (relativism, skepticism, antirealism) are identified as potential, not inherent, outcomes.
- The discussion highlights the relevance of phronesis and the concept of medical "texts".
Conclusions:
- Hermeneutics presents a significant framework for understanding and critiquing medicine.
- The potential negative consequences of hermeneutics are not inevitable and require careful consideration.
- Further exploration of phronesis and the nature of medical "texts" is warranted.