Philosophy of Medicine, Medical Humanities and STS

We examine the specifics of contemporary medical science and practice, its preconditions and effects in the context of culture and society. Philosophy aims at critical reflection and conceptual analysis, humanities stand for the variety of disciplinary perspectives from the Geisteswissenschaften on medicine and illness and STS for a methodological approach from Science and Technology Studies for dealing with medicine and its power in contemporary society. It does not suffice to start from medical views and biomedical truth; instead precise analysis of the functioning of medical research and clinical practice are required: By asking how specific forms of medical knowledge have developed and gained valence within the horizon of anthropological-philosophical questions. We also explore potentials for intervention. By doing so medical humanities can offer more than a softening of the supposedly hard medical truth with the means of the arts, human and social sciences.