Opinion Persons and their Brains: Life, Death, and Lessened Humanity, 2024, Maples

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Persons and their Brains: Life, Death, and Lessened Humanity
Caitlin Maples
The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy: A Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine
, Volume 49, Issue 2, April 2024, Pages 117–127, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmp/jhae001
Published:

14 March 2024

Abstract

The authors of the articles in this issue of The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy address a wide variety of topics, from definitions of disease to bioenhancement.

Each author, however, draws out the importance of careful use of language. Over the years, philosophers of medicine and bioethicists have debated questions such as what qualifies something as a disease, whether disease language is evaluative, whether the term “person” encompasses more than just human beings, and what language ought to be used to best convey complex information to patients.

Among a great deal of disagreement on these topics, one thing emerges distinctly: that clarity and careful attention to language is paramount in medicine.

The articles in this issue contribute to that conversation, presenting complex arguments and illustrative examples of why it is so important to use clear and well-defined terms in medicine, and of the reality-altering power that our language carries.

Keywords: bioenhancement, chronic fatigue syndrome, defining disease, depression, illness, languages of medicalization, virtual clinic

Introduction

Article Contents

Argues that CFS is not a disease and similar.
 
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