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The concepts of health and illness revisited

The concepts of health and illness revisited Contemporary philosophy of health has been quite focused on the problem of determining the nature of the concepts of health, illness and disease from a scientific point of view. Some theorists claim and argue that these concepts are value-free and descriptive in the same sense as the concepts of atom, metal and rain are value-free and descriptive. To say that a person has a certain disease or that he or she is unhealthy is thus to objectively describe this person. On the other hand it certainly does not preclude an additional evaluation of the state of affairs as undesirable or bad. The basic scientific description and the evaluation are, however, two independent matters, according to this kind of theory. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png "Medicine, Health Care & Philosophy" Springer Journals

The concepts of health and illness revisited

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References (15)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2006 by Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.
Subject
Medicine & Public Health; Theory of Medicine/Bioethics; Medical Law; Ethics; History of Medicine
ISSN
1386-7423
eISSN
1572-8633
DOI
10.1007/s11019-006-9017-3
pmid
16955344
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Contemporary philosophy of health has been quite focused on the problem of determining the nature of the concepts of health, illness and disease from a scientific point of view. Some theorists claim and argue that these concepts are value-free and descriptive in the same sense as the concepts of atom, metal and rain are value-free and descriptive. To say that a person has a certain disease or that he or she is unhealthy is thus to objectively describe this person. On the other hand it certainly does not preclude an additional evaluation of the state of affairs as undesirable or bad. The basic scientific description and the evaluation are, however, two independent matters, according to this kind of theory.

Journal

"Medicine, Health Care & Philosophy"Springer Journals

Published: Sep 6, 2006

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