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Bodies of Inference: Christian Wolff’s Epistemology of the Life Sciences and Medicine

Bodies of Inference: Christian Wolff’s Epistemology of the Life Sciences and Medicine This paper explores Christian Wolff’s attempt to introduce his scientific method in the life sciences and medicine. As one can expect in the light of recent scholarship, Wolff firmly relies on experience and shares Pitcairne’s conviction that physicians should imitate astronomers in basing their claims on observations. However, Wolff’s rational foundation of medicine also highlights the heuristic value of hypotheses, the use of a priori explanations in pathology, the teleological character and metaphysical import of physiological and medical concepts. Thus, his epistemological attitude towards living beings represents an interesting alternative to the purely empirical trend in early modern medicine. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Perspectives on Science MIT Press

Bodies of Inference: Christian Wolff’s Epistemology of the Life Sciences and Medicine

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References (41)

Publisher
MIT Press
Copyright
©2016 by The Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Subject
Articles
ISSN
1063-6145
eISSN
1530-9274
DOI
10.1162/POSC_a_00211
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

This paper explores Christian Wolff’s attempt to introduce his scientific method in the life sciences and medicine. As one can expect in the light of recent scholarship, Wolff firmly relies on experience and shares Pitcairne’s conviction that physicians should imitate astronomers in basing their claims on observations. However, Wolff’s rational foundation of medicine also highlights the heuristic value of hypotheses, the use of a priori explanations in pathology, the teleological character and metaphysical import of physiological and medical concepts. Thus, his epistemological attitude towards living beings represents an interesting alternative to the purely empirical trend in early modern medicine.

Journal

Perspectives on ScienceMIT Press

Published: May 1, 2016

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