Round-table discussion
pp. 211-234
in: Tristram Engelhardt, Stuart Spicker (eds), Evaluation and explanation in the biomedical sciences, Berlin, Springer, 1975Abstract
Recent years have witnessed a birth of interest in philosophical problems in medicine. This interest spans issues from medical ethics to the philosophy of the science and art of medicine. The result has been the entrance, at times awkward, of the philosopher and philosophy into the clinical setting. To say the least, there has been suspicion on both sides. Philosophers have questioned the importance and authenticity of the philosophical issues in medicine. Physicians have questioned the importance and significance of the contributions to be made by philosophy. Here and now I hope through you that we can consider the points of tangency, collision, and contribution between philosophy and medicine. In particular, I hope that you can say something concerning the possible effect of philosophy on medicine in the clinical setting, concerning the ways in which medicine can be enriched, or for that matter distracted by philosophy. Can philosophy make a positive contribution to medicine and especially to clinical medicine? And if that is possible, what should the nature of that contribution be? And as importantly, can medicine make a contribution to philosophy, can it indicate to philosophy as yet unexamined or underexamined issues?