Springer The Philosophy and Practice of Medicine and Bioethics: A Naturalistic-Humanistic Approach: 47 (International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, 47)

This book completes medical care by adding the comprehensive humanistic perspectives and philosophy of medicine. It discusses many issues of medical treatment, moral approaches or legal advice and offers a new way of thinking which it explains and illustrates. Review From the reviews: “The Philosophy and Practice of Medicine and Bioethics, it provides an overview of the crucial issues being faced in medical practice, replete with interesting case studies and patient-care narratives … . The authors repeatedly encourage good, open communication between patients and healthcare workers as well as between healthcare professionals and management staff. They also advocate constructive dialogue and human relationships based on trust, which are surely relevant aspects of what a philosophy of medicine must promote.” (Francesca Marin, Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, Vol. 34, 2013) “This book advocates a philosophy of medicine founded on humanism and naturalism. … a philosophical work providing an honest, detailed, analytical inquiry of prevailing concepts and methods used in medicine. … The book, a mixture of philosophical argument, opinions, case studies, and patient-care narratives from the authors’ experience, is best appreciated … . I found this book to be an informative read … . most understood and best appreciated by academics in moral philosophy and ethics … . the book is surely worth the effort.” (Andrew R. Barnosky, Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 306 (8), August, 2011) “The purpose is to present a ‘naturalistic, practical, pragmatic, consequentialistic, and humanistic theory of ethics,’ to apply this to the philosophy of medicine, and to examine existing bioethical arguments in light of this theory. A systematic approach to this topic is quite welcome. … the book will be helpful to practitioners, and … healthcare workers (and everyone else) would benefit greatly from paying greater attention to philosophical ethics. … Readers sympathetic to naturalistic and humanistic philosophies are the most likely to find this work helpful.” (D. Robert MacDougall, Doody’s Review Service, February, 2011) From the Back Cover This book explores currently unchallenged methods in medicine, such as “evidence-based medicine”, from the perspectives of humanism and philosophy of medicine. The book discusses issues of medical treatment and moral approaches and indicates the strongest arguments. These arguments are subsequently subjected to critical analysis. The book includes new ways of thinking and explains, uses and exemplifies the “metaphorical method”. The book argues that decision-making in medicine is inadequate unless grounded on a philosophy of medicine. As part of its argumentation, the book explores the insights offered by practical and humanistic philosophy and by creative and critical thinkers who are working on topics relevant to medicine. From this, a new and necessary definition of philosophy of life emerges: a good lifestyle no longer simply means getting physical exercise and abstaining from cigarettes and alcohol; it also means living a holistic life including all of one’s thinking, personality and actions. About the Author Warren Shibles was a Senior philosophy professor at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater, Wisconsin and also taught courses at Tübingen, Germany. He has published 27 books, and over 180 professional journal articles.He also was a researcher in phonetics. He died in July 2007. Barbara Maier is a Senior physician, gynaecologist and obstetrician at the Women`s Hospital in Salzburg and head of the Department of Gynaecological Endocrinology and Assisted Reproduction at the University Clinic of Gynaecology and Obstetrics in Salzburg, Austria. She has been teaching ethics in medicine at the Institute for Ethics and Law at the University of Vienna since 1993. She has a Ph.D. in Philosophy, and M.D from the University of Vienna.