Jonathan Fuller - What’s in a diagnosis? Towards a philosophy of diagnostic medicine

Jonathan Fuller (University of Pittsburgh)

The Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh invites you to join us for our 66th Annual Lecture Series Talk. Attend in person in room 1008 in the Cathedral of Learning (10th Floor)  or visit our live stream on YouTube at   Jonathan Fuller (University of Pittsburgh)

Friday, November 14th @ 3:30 pm - 5:30pm EDT

1008 Cathedral of Learning 

Title: What’s in a diagnosis? Towards a philosophy of diagnostic medicine

Abstract:

Much contemporary philosophy seeks to answer the question, what is disease? Yet, more so than ‘disease’ attribution, diagnosis is one of the central concerns of medicine, and philosophers have only just begun to articulate and offer answers to problems of medical diagnosis that should be field-defining for the philosophy of medicine. What is diagnosis? And what is its purpose? Some have argued that diagnosis aims to causally explain the ills that bring people to medical attention, as an answer to a ‘why?’ question. I offer an instrumentalist alternative, in which diagnosis is an answer to a ‘what’s wrong?’ question that seeks to usefully classify medical conditions to achieve instrumental benefit. Understanding the nature and aim of diagnosis will allow us to clarify several concepts currently receiving much-deserved medical and societal attention such as diagnostic error, diagnostic excellence, and overdiagnosis.

This talk will be available online:

Zoom: https://pitt.zoom.us/j/99923676453

and 

YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrRp47ZMXD7NXO3a9Gyh2sg.