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Health Concepts in Medicine and the Role of Philosophy

Lalumera, Elisabetta (2025) Health Concepts in Medicine and the Role of Philosophy. Philosophy of Medicine, 6 (1). pp. 1-23. ISSN 2692-3963

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Abstract

Philosophers interested in medicine and healthcare research should focus on the choice of health concepts. Conceptual choice is akin to conceptual engineering but, in addition to assessing whether a concept suits an objective, or offering a better one, it evaluates objectives, ranks them, and discusses stakeholders’ entitlement. To show the importance of choosing health concepts, I summarize the internal debate in medicine, showcasing definitions, constructs, and scales. To argue it is a philosophical task, I analyze the medical controversy over health as adaptation and self-management. I conclude with a to-do list of conceptual choice tasks, generalizable beyond medicine.


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Item Type: Published Article or Volume
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Lalumera, Elisabettaelisabetta.lalumera@unibo.it0000-0002-0345-0838
Keywords: Conceptual analysis Metaphilosophy Measurement Well-being Conceptual engineering
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Medicine > Health and Disease
Specific Sciences > Medicine
Depositing User: Professor Alex Broadbent
Date Deposited: 21 Apr 2025 13:28
Last Modified: 21 Apr 2025 13:28
Item ID: 25119
Journal or Publication Title: Philosophy of Medicine
Publisher: University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
Official URL: https://philmed.pitt.edu/philmed/article/view/220
DOI or Unique Handle: 10.5195/pom.2025.220
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Medicine > Health and Disease
Specific Sciences > Medicine
Date: 15 April 2025
Page Range: pp. 1-23
Volume: 6
Number: 1
ISSN: 2692-3963
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/25119

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