Nicole M. Piemonte
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262037396
- eISBN:
- 9780262344968
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262037396.001.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
While many commentators have pointed to the lack of compassion and empathy in medicine, their critiques, for the most part, have not considered seriously the deeper philosophical, psychological, and ...
More
While many commentators have pointed to the lack of compassion and empathy in medicine, their critiques, for the most part, have not considered seriously the deeper philosophical, psychological, and ontological reasons why clinicians and medical students might choose to conceive of medicine as an endeavor concerned solely with the biological workings of the body. Thus, this book examines why it is that existential suffering tends to be overlooked in medical practice and education, as well as the ways in which contemporary medical epistemology and pedagogy not only perpetuate but are indeed shaped by the human tendency to flee from the reality of death and vulnerability. It also explores how students and doctors perceive medicine, including what it means to be a doctor and what responsibilities doctors have toward addressing existential suffering. Contending that the being of the physician is constituted by the other who calls out to her in his suffering, this book argues that the doctor is, in fact, called to attend to suffering that extends beyond the biological. It also discusses how future physicians might be “brought back to themselves” and oriented toward a deeper sense of care through a pedagogy that encourages intentional reflection and values the cultivation of the self, openness to vulnerability, and a fuller conception of what it means to be a healer.Less
While many commentators have pointed to the lack of compassion and empathy in medicine, their critiques, for the most part, have not considered seriously the deeper philosophical, psychological, and ontological reasons why clinicians and medical students might choose to conceive of medicine as an endeavor concerned solely with the biological workings of the body. Thus, this book examines why it is that existential suffering tends to be overlooked in medical practice and education, as well as the ways in which contemporary medical epistemology and pedagogy not only perpetuate but are indeed shaped by the human tendency to flee from the reality of death and vulnerability. It also explores how students and doctors perceive medicine, including what it means to be a doctor and what responsibilities doctors have toward addressing existential suffering. Contending that the being of the physician is constituted by the other who calls out to her in his suffering, this book argues that the doctor is, in fact, called to attend to suffering that extends beyond the biological. It also discusses how future physicians might be “brought back to themselves” and oriented toward a deeper sense of care through a pedagogy that encourages intentional reflection and values the cultivation of the self, openness to vulnerability, and a fuller conception of what it means to be a healer.
Nicole M. Piemonte
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262037396
- eISBN:
- 9780262344968
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262037396.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Chapter one begins with a synopsis of the scholarly literature that discusses the epistemology and pedagogy of medicine and the effects they have on physician formation before arguing that this ...
More
Chapter one begins with a synopsis of the scholarly literature that discusses the epistemology and pedagogy of medicine and the effects they have on physician formation before arguing that this perspective can be deepened and expanded by an understanding of Heidegger’s explication of “calculative thinking.” An understanding of this mode of thinking offers a more comprehensive grounding for the discussion about the inherent problems of medical education and practice. Privileging calculative thinking closes one off to other truths, those truths that are unverifiable, unquantifiable, or intangible. A Heideggerian critique helps to illustrate medicine’s tendency toward a calculative understanding of illness that is defined by a hurried curiosity, as opposed to a meditative thinking that is slower, open to wonder, embraces ambiguity, and considers the ineffable and unquantifiable to be just as “true” or valid as those things that might be scientifically “proven,” a point that will be more fully explored in later chapters. Recognizing the dominance and seductiveness of calculative thinking within medicine is important, as it speaks to the human tendency to turn away from the contingency, vulnerability, and death—a point that is clarified and expanded in chapter 2.Less
Chapter one begins with a synopsis of the scholarly literature that discusses the epistemology and pedagogy of medicine and the effects they have on physician formation before arguing that this perspective can be deepened and expanded by an understanding of Heidegger’s explication of “calculative thinking.” An understanding of this mode of thinking offers a more comprehensive grounding for the discussion about the inherent problems of medical education and practice. Privileging calculative thinking closes one off to other truths, those truths that are unverifiable, unquantifiable, or intangible. A Heideggerian critique helps to illustrate medicine’s tendency toward a calculative understanding of illness that is defined by a hurried curiosity, as opposed to a meditative thinking that is slower, open to wonder, embraces ambiguity, and considers the ineffable and unquantifiable to be just as “true” or valid as those things that might be scientifically “proven,” a point that will be more fully explored in later chapters. Recognizing the dominance and seductiveness of calculative thinking within medicine is important, as it speaks to the human tendency to turn away from the contingency, vulnerability, and death—a point that is clarified and expanded in chapter 2.
