Modern medicine’s picture of human nature offers challenges and opportunities to the humanities
There is much talk these days about “the medical humanities”, although we still await agreement on its meaning and importance. I think the key lies in appreciating how medicine and the humanities share in an endeavour larger than either alone — the endeavour of understanding the human condition. In this, medicine and the humanities have much to offer each other. My framework begins with an observation about knowledge, scientific and otherwise.
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1. Williams R. Culture and society, 1780-1950. London: Chatto and Windus, 1958.
- 2. Chekhov A. A case history. In: The princess and other stories (translated by R Hingley). Aylesbury: Oxford University Press, 1990: 179-188.
- 3. Camus A. The plague. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1965.
- 4. Passion fish [movie]. Sayles J, director. Columbia Studios, 1992.
- 5. Hobbes T. Leviathan. 1641 (many editions).
- 6. MacIntyre A. After virtue: a study in moral theory. London: Duckworth, 1981.
- 7. Good B. Medicine, rationality and experience. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
- 8. Evans M. The “medical body” as philosophy’s arena. Theor Med Bioeth 2001; 22: 17-32.
- 9. Magee B. Confessions of a philosopher: a journey through Western philosophy. London: Phoenix Books, 1996.
This article is based on material from keynote addresses to the Conference on Medicine and the Humanities, Sydney, NSW, 5–6 November 2004, and the Association for Medical Humanities, Swansea, UK, 19–21 July 2004.