Biomedical Epistemology: CONTENTS & LINKS

Norm Borenstein MD

email: comments@biomedicalepistemology.net

“Epistemology” is  that branch of Western philosophy referring to “what can be known” and “how do we know what we know.”  A case will be made later concerning the long-term importance–and even ‘urgency’ of such a continuing perspective. For now, I will present a number of essays and such to get things going.

[1] BIOMEDICAL EPISTEMOLOGY: INTRODUCTION & BLOG

A condensed introduction. Many of the issues will be elaborated in later pages and posts, especially the cited literature concerning the epistemology of “Evidence-Based Medicine” (EBM)  and “genomics.”

[II] “EPISTEMOLOGY AND CHINESE MEDICINE: COMMENTARY AND ELABORATION ON TWO ARTICLES”

Beginning with issues related to the efficacy of Chinese Medicine and acupuncture and relating these in turn to their epistemological status; then covering a range of possibly relevant philosophical and modern scientific areas including “biosemiotics,” “coordination dynamics” and “fractal physiology.”

[III]  THE LUDWIK FLECK STORY: A LOST THREAD IN WESTERN BIOMEDICAL EPISTEMOLOGY?

The previous essay had touched on the issue of what effect the political upheaval of the Maoist “Cultural Revolution” had on the continuity and  intellectual integrity of  “Traditional Chinese Medicine” (TCM). Further commentary is planned in a forthcoming essay. By way of “abduction,” as it were,  it seemed appropriate to make the same inquiry with respect to modern biomedicine and specifically the World War II Holocaust. The cross-fertilization which had occurred in Europe, notably between the German and Jewish intellectual cultures had much promise (Much was seen in the development of atomic physics). Yet, this is exactly the cultural melding which so irritated the Nazis and which they specifically set out to quash (among other more dire projects).  A preliminary version is presented–final page under construction (links, etc.)

Norman M Borenstein MD