This course will introduce students to philosophical inquiry by engaging in a
philosophical assessment of contemporary medicine. Our central question will be: what
is the proper task of medicine? This central question raises a host of other questions that
call for philosophical reflection. For example some of the questions we will address
include: What is health and what is a disease? How are pain and suffering distinct? Does
current medical practice adequately address the suffering of person? Might alternative
medical practices promote health better than mainstream medical practices? Can we
measure health and the closely related concept of well-being? Can we quantify medical
outcomes effectively, or does the attempt to do so inevitably result in a deterioration of
medical care?