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- GIOVANNI BONIOLO (doctoral degree in Physics and in Philosophy) • Full Professor of Philosophy of Science and Medica... moreGIOVANNI BONIOLO (doctoral degree in Physics and in Philosophy)
• Full Professor of Philosophy of Science and Medical Humanities, Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche e Chirurgico Specialistiche, Università di Ferrara
• Honorary Ambassador, Technische Universität München
• President of the Accademia dei Concordi, Rovigo (Italy)
• Scientific Director of the Civitas Vitae Research Centre (Padova)
• Alumnus of the Institute for Advanced Study, Technische Universität München
• Editor-in-chief of History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences.
• Editor of Lecture Notes in Bioengineering (Springer).
• Member Honoris Causa and “Benemerito della Cultura” of the Accademia Siciliana dei Mitici
• Former Director of the PhD program in “Foundations of the Life Sciences and Their Ethical Consequences”, European School of Molecular Medicine (SEMM, Milano) and Former Director of the Biomedical Humanities Unit, Department of Experimental Oncology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia (IEO, Milano).
• Coordinator of the “Gruppo Scienza e Società” of the Federazione Italiana Scienze della Vita (FISV).
• Ethics Advisor of the European project (Horizon2020) COSMIC (Combatting disorders of adaptive immunity with Systems Medicine).
• Member of the committee for the animal wellbeing of the University of Ferrara.
• Core Faculty Member dell’ESO (European School of Oncology).
• Member of the Accademia Olimpica Nazionale Italiana (AONI).
• Expert of the Common Service ELSI of Biobanking and BioMolecular Resources Research Infrastructure.
• Member or chair of several ethics committees both at Italian and European level.
• Consultant of many European research centres.
• Member of the scientific committee of many Italian and European foundations, institutions, journals, etc.
• His research interests are (i) public and individual decision-making, whenever ethical issues are involved; (ii) trust based consent for patients; (iii) foundations of contemporary biomedical research and clinical practice.
• Series Editor of Springer Briefs on Ethical and Legal Issues in Biomedicine and Technology.
• Series Editor of “Filosofia della scienza e dintorni” (Meltemi, Milano).
• His work is witnessed by 13 books (plus 12 books edited) and about 230 papers most of which in international peer reviewed journals (e.g. Nature, Axiomathes; Biology and Philosophy; Foundations of Physics; Foundations of Science; History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences; International Philosophical Quarterly; International Studies in the Philosophy of Science; The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science; Philosophy; Bioethics; Journal of Philosophical Logic; Philosophical Explorations; Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences; Journal of Medical Ethics; Journal of Medicine and Philosophy; PLOsONE; Erkenntnis; Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic; Medicine, Healthcare and Philosophy; Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology; Journal of Applied Logic, Journal of Medical Humanities; Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine; Cancer Treatment Reviews; The American Journal of Bioethics, Journal of Public Health Research; The EPMA Journal; Bioetica; Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics; European Journal for the Philosophy of Science; Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics.)
• Among his books:
o G. Boniolo, Conoscere per vivere. Istruzioni per sopravvivere all’ignoranza, Meltemi, Milano 2018.
o G. Boniolo, V. Sanchini (eds), Ethical counselling and medical decision-making in the era of personalized medicine, Springer, Heidelberg 2016
o G. Boniolo, M. Nathan (eds), Philosophy of Molecular Medicine: Foundational Issues in Research and Practice, Routledge, New York 2016
o G. Boniolo, P. Maugeri (eds.), Etica ai confini della biomedicina. Per una cittadinanza consapevole, Mondadori Università, Milano 2019 (2° ed).
o G. Boniolo, Le regole e il sudore. Divagazioni su sport e filosofia, Raffaello Cortina Editore, Milano 2013 (CONI Award, 2014)
o G. Boniolo, The Art of Deliberating. Democracy, Deliberation and the Life Sciences Between History and Theory, Springer, Heidelberg 2012.
• Web page: : http://docente.unife.it/giovanni.bonioloedit
Background Almost 44 million people are currently living with dementia worldwide. This number is set to increase threefold by 2050, posing a serious threat to the sustainability of healthcare systems. Overuse of antipsychotic drugs for... more
Background Almost 44 million people are currently living with dementia worldwide. This number is set to increase threefold by 2050, posing a serious threat to the sustainability of healthcare systems. Overuse of antipsychotic drugs for the management of the symptoms of dementia carries negative consequences for patients while also increasing the health expenditures for society. Supportive care (SC) interventions could be considered a safer and potentially costsaving option. In this paper we provide a systematic review of the existing evidence regarding the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of SC interventions targeted towards persons living with dementia and their caregivers. dwelling persons with dementia; one community-based cognitive stimulation and occupational programme. Conclusion We find that the most promising SC strategies in terms of cost-effectiveness are multicomponent interventions (targeted towards both nursing home residents and day-care service users), indirect strategies (group living and dementia care management at home), some forms of tailored occupational therapy, together with some psychosocial interventions for caregivers of community-dwelling persons with dementia. Our results suggest that the adoption of effective SC interventions may increase the economic sustainability of dementia care.
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Continuing the international debate on teaching philosophy to non-philosophers, we discuss why and how philosophy of sci- ence should be included in the training of young physicians. We detail what philosophy contents and tools should be... more
Continuing the international debate on teaching philosophy to non-philosophers, we discuss why and how philosophy of sci- ence should be included in the training of young physicians. We detail what philosophy contents and tools should be de- livered, stressing that professional philosophers should teach what biomedical students actually need. Some successful ex- amples of philosophy courses in Italian Medical Schools are presented, in the light of which we argue that jointly consid- ering research issues, training initiatives, academic curricula and institutional and organizational constraints can effectively foster a rethinking of the role philosophy can play in medical education – a role which might impact positively the future of both philosophy and biomedicine.
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Covid 19 epidemic has brought with it an enormous flood of news, too often inaccurate and not scientifically reliable. Many commentators, journalists, pseudo-intellectual changed suddenly themselves into experts of virology, pharmacology,... more
Covid 19 epidemic has brought with it an enormous flood of news, too often inaccurate and not scientifically reliable. Many commentators, journalists, pseudo-intellectual changed suddenly themselves into experts of virology, pharmacology, epidemiology (and statistics), overflowing social and traditional media with an endless stream of (supposed to be) "interesting opinions". Common people do not well understand how dangerous could be this sort of infodemic. Reliable information is the basis of knowledge and knowledge should be the basis of any decision regarding public interest and health. Then a systematic misinformation could really erode public good, leading to unwise and wrong personal and political decisions. In order to cope with this general issue, really not limited to Covid-19 epidemic, Germany and France approved, respectively in 2017 and 2018, a law against so called "fake news". Italy is still waiting after a couple of bills rapidly aborted. The authors well understand that balancing the right of freedom of speech and control over information is a hard and sensitive task. Nonetheless, it is a necessary one.
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'Oncohumanities' is a new field of oncology and humanities which integrates a rich gamut of humanity disciplines and oncological expertise to tackle patients' real needs and priorities. To promote knowledge and awareness on this topic, we... more
'Oncohumanities' is a new field of oncology and humanities which integrates a rich gamut of humanity disciplines and oncological expertise to tackle patients' real needs and priorities. To promote knowledge and awareness on this topic, we propose a training programme that will blend conceptual knowledge underpinning oncology practice with and person-centred care based on the humanisations of care, on empowerment of patients, and on respect for their diversities. Oncohumanities differs from most existing medical humanities training as it is integrated and engaged with oncology (rather than an add-on). This means that its agenda is driven by the real needs and priorities arising out of daily oncological practice. It is our hope that this new Oncohumanities programme and approach will contribute to guiding future efforts to foster a strong integrated partnership between humanities and oncology.
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In recent years, the biomedical field has witnessed the emergence of novel tools and modelling techniques driven by the rise of the so-called Big Data. In this paper, we address the issue of predictability in biomedical Big Data models of... more
In recent years, the biomedical field has witnessed the emergence of novel tools and modelling techniques driven by the rise of the so-called Big Data. In this paper, we address the issue of predictability in biomedical Big Data models of cancer patients, with the aim of determining the extent to which computationally driven predictions can be implemented by medical doctors in their clinical practice. We show that for a specific class of approaches, called k-Nearest Neighbour algorithms, the ability to draw predictive inferences relies on a geometrical, or topological, notion of similarity encoded in a well-defined metric, which determines how close the characteristics of distinct patients are on average. We then discuss the conditions under which the relevant models can yield reliable and trustworthy predictive outcomes.
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Si propone un esperimento mentale che pensa a una riforma del Comitato Nazionale di Bioetica su base deliberativa. Tale nuovo CNB è caratterizzato dalla turnazione dei suoi membri, dal non offrire soluzioni (specie attraverso il voto) ma... more
Si propone un esperimento mentale che pensa a una riforma del Comitato Nazionale di Bioetica su base deliberativa. Tale nuovo CNB è caratterizzato dalla turnazione dei suoi membri, dal non offrire soluzioni (specie attraverso il voto) ma solo analisi dei pro e dei contro le diverse soluzioni proposte a livello internazionale, dal non confondere etica con legge ed etica con religione.
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Opere epistemologiche H.J. Poincarè, vol.
Si discute del caso Galilei partendo da considerazioni sullo statuto epistemologico dei modelli di univers
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Un'analisi di che cosa sia la consulenza etica in ambito clinic
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Molecular biology, in particular post-genomics, is determining the proximal and the distal future of both biomedical research and clinical practice. Thanks to the advancements in understanding the molecular bases of diseases, we are... more
Molecular biology, in particular post-genomics, is determining the proximal and the distal future of both biomedical research and clinical practice. Thanks to the advancements in understanding the molecular bases of diseases, we are drastically changing our approach to prevention, diagnosis and therapy. In particular, through recently available sequencing techniques, we have realised that each instance of cancer affecting a particular individual is actually composed of a set of different cancer subpopulations. This phenomenon, called tumour heterogeneity, is posing a tremendous challenge to biomedicine but also to philosophy. In this paper the notion of patchwork narrative is introduced in order to offer a philosophical framework for the description and the explanation of the many different events and processes ascribable to tumour heterogeneity and to its complexity
Research Interests: Psychology and Narrative
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This work addresses biological explanations and aims to provide a philosophical account which brings together logical-procedural and historical-processual aspects when considering molecular pathways. It is argued that, having molecular... more
This work addresses biological explanations and aims to provide a philosophical account which brings together logical-procedural and historical-processual aspects when considering molecular pathways. It is argued that, having molecular features as explananda, a particular non-classical logical language – Zsyntax – can be used to formally represent, in terms of logical theorems, types of molecular processes (pathways), and to grasp how we get from one molecular interaction to another, hence explaining why a given outcome occurs. Expressing types of molecular biology processes in terms of the Zsyntax language allows us to represent causal interactions by taking into account their context-sensitivity, and amounts to partly reviving the spirit of the so-called received view of explanation – which aimed to capture scientific explanatory accounts in terms of their logical structure and their appealing to nomological relations. Such a partial revival is pursued by invoking here non-classic...
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The complexity of intracellular molecular pathways can be simplified by the use of Network Biology that breaks down the intricacy of biological processes into components and interactions among them (interactome). In the paper we show that... more
The complexity of intracellular molecular pathways can be simplified by the use of Network Biology that breaks down the intricacy of biological processes into components and interactions among them (interactome). In the paper we show that any complex interactome, that is, a biological network representing protein-protein, protein-DNA and DNA-RNA interactions, can be decomposed into a conjunction of logical theorems expressed in terms of Zsyntax, a formal language which allows representing (as long as you want) biological pathways. This result, illustrated with the case study of melanoma network, opens the possibility for a computable model of the cell expressed in a logical language and shows how a formal way of intending philosophy can be useful to cope with the complexity of the biological world.
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In the paper, after clarifying terms such as ‘identity’, ‘self’ and ‘personhood’, I propose an empirical account of identity based on the notion of “whole phenotype”. This move allows one to claim the persistence of the individuals before... more
In the paper, after clarifying terms such as ‘identity’, ‘self’ and ‘personhood’, I propose an empirical account of identity based on the notion of “whole phenotype”. This move allows one to claim the persistence of the individuals before and after their being affected by dementia. Furthermore, I show how this account permits us to address significant questions related to demented individuals’ loss of the capacity of moral decisions.
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Some real life processes, including molecular ones, are context-sensitive, in the sense that their outcome depends on side conditions that are most of the times difficult, or impossible, to express fully in advance. In this paper, we... more
Some real life processes, including molecular ones, are context-sensitive, in the sense that their outcome depends on side conditions that are most of the times difficult, or impossible, to express fully in advance. In this paper, we survey and discuss a logical account of context-sensitiveness in molecular processes, based on a kind of non-classical logic. This account also allows us to revisit the relationship between logic and philosophy of science (and philosophy of biology, in particular).
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A spinal cord injury (SCI) is generally defined as a damage to any part of the spinal cord or nerves at the end of the spinal canal, affecting some body functions, depending on the specific site in which the injury occurred and the... more
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is generally defined as a damage to any part of the spinal cord or nerves at the end of the spinal canal, affecting some body functions, depending on the specific site in which the injury occurred and the severity of the injury itself. While specialized literature has been primarily devoted to the medical aspects—in particular factors associated with as well as trends in mortality and causes of death of people affected by SCI—lesser attention has been paid to the ethical issues related to, and originating from, SCI situations. Against this backdrop and the lack of dedicated debates on the ethical issues, this contribution indicates and explores both the main aspects whose impact may be ethically sensitive and the possible solutions addressing them in the context of repairing strategies.
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There is an increasing demand for help whenever ethical problems intersect clinical decisions, in particular decisions within psychosomatic medicine. In this chapter, we show how an ethical counselling centred on the needs and on the... more
There is an increasing demand for help whenever ethical problems intersect clinical decisions, in particular decisions within psychosomatic medicine. In this chapter, we show how an ethical counselling centred on the needs and on the biographies of the patients could ameliorate their decisional process concerning which clinical option should be pursued. And, of course, the ethical counselling approach we propose does not diminish patient autonomy but, actually, increases patient empowerment.
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Over the last few decades, momentous theoretical and technological advancements in the biomedical sciences have enabled an increasingly pervasive and systematic exploration of organisms—including human beings—at the molecular level. This... more
Over the last few decades, momentous theoretical and technological advancements in the biomedical sciences have enabled an increasingly pervasive and systematic exploration of organisms—including human beings—at the molecular level. This deeper understanding was accompanied by a more accurate and effective manipulation of biological systems which, in turn, underlies a more efficacious and individualized approach to patients. The attempt to study conditions and treat diseases from a molecular perspective is often referred to as molecular medicine. This more precise and ‘individualizable’ molecular approach is widely considered to lie at the frontier of clinical and medical practice (Collins and Varmus 2015). While, for the time being, much of this cutting-edge research still only carries a promise of future therapeutic payoffs, we already have examples of concrete clinical results, as witnessed by molecular approaches in cancer therapies (www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/...
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After a short note on the state of bioethics and of its crisis, two ways out are proposed. Both of them are person-centred (respectively on the person as citizen and on the person as patient) and both of them are strongly characterised by... more
After a short note on the state of bioethics and of its crisis, two ways out are proposed. Both of them are person-centred (respectively on the person as citizen and on the person as patient) and both of them are strongly characterised by an emphasis on the critical thinking. Thus, on the one hand, an account of deliberative bioethics and, on the other hand, and account of ethical counselling are developed and proposed.
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In this paper, first we recall some paradigmatic ways of implementing carrier screening policies in a community. Then we move on to a proposal concerning a possible bottom-up solution based on deliberative democracy (and thus on real... more
In this paper, first we recall some paradigmatic ways of implementing carrier screening policies in a community. Then we move on to a proposal concerning a possible bottom-up solution based on deliberative democracy (and thus on real citizens’ participation in decisional processes) that should legitimate libertarian paternalist strategies concerning which genetic screenings should be made and which policies should be adopted by the institutions.
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The logic underpinning randomized controlled trials depends on the assumption that any non-specific effects of treatment are equal and additive across trial arms. We label this the “assumption of specific efficacy”. There are a number of... more
The logic underpinning randomized controlled trials depends on the assumption that any non-specific effects of treatment are equal and additive across trial arms. We label this the “assumption of specific efficacy”. There are a number of situations in which the assumption of specific efficacy does not hold. We describe the epistemic consequences that arise in these situations and discuss strategies for preserving the internal validity of randomized trials in such situations.
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For many years, dementia care has been dominated by the standard medical approach, in which dementia is treated mainly with drugs, such as anti-anxiety, antidepressant and anti-psychotic medications. With the aim of seeking effective... more
For many years, dementia care has been dominated by the standard medical approach, in which dementia is treated mainly with drugs, such as anti-anxiety, antidepressant and anti-psychotic medications. With the aim of seeking effective treatments for patients with dementia, over the last years, several contributions have criticised the pervasive use of drugs for the management of behavioural and physiological symptoms related to dementia, proposing personalised interventions aimed at supporting patients and their relatives from diagnosis until death. With particular reference to long-term settings, in this work, we aim at understanding the organisational implications of three types of interventions (labelled supportive care interventions – SCIs) that have characterised this shift in dementia care: person-centred, palliative and multi-disciplinary care. Conducted by following the integrative review method, our review underlines how SCIs have controversial consequences on the quality of...
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In the last decade, robustness has been extensively mentioned and discussed in biology as well as in the philosophy of the life sciences. Nevertheless, from both fields, someone has affirmed that this debate has resulted in more semantic... more
In the last decade, robustness has been extensively mentioned and discussed in biology as well as in the philosophy of the life sciences. Nevertheless, from both fields, someone has affirmed that this debate has resulted in more semantic confusion than in semantic clearness. Starting from this claim, we wish to offer a sort of prima facie map of the different usages of the term. In this manner we would intend to predispose a sort of " semantic platform " which could be exploited by those who wish to discuss or simply use it. We do this by starting from a core distinction between the robustness of representations , which is a philosophy of science issue, and the representations of robust-ness, which instead pertains to science. We illustrate our proposal with examples from biology, physics and mathematics.
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The way death is (not) dealt with is one of the main determinants of the current crisis of cancer care. The tendency to avoid discussions about terminal prognoses and to create unrealistic expectations of fighting death is seriously... more
The way death is (not) dealt with is one of the main determinants of the current crisis of cancer care. The tendency to avoid discussions about terminal prognoses and to create unrealistic expectations of fighting death is seriously harming patients, families and healthcare professionals, and the delivery of high-quality and equitable care. Drawing on different literature sources, we explore key dimensions of the taboo of death: medical, policy, cultural. We suggest that the oncologist, from a certain moment, could take on the role of amicus mortis, a classical figure in the past times, and thus accompanying patients towards the end of their life through palliation and linking them to psychosocial and ethical/existential resources. This presupposes the implementation of Supportive Care in Cancer and the ethical idea of relational autonomy based on understanding patients’ needs considering their sociocultural contexts. It is also key to encourage public conversations beyond the area of medicine to re-integrate death into life.
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Advanced medical imaging, such as CT, fMRI and PET, has undergone enormous progress in recent years, both in accuracy and utilization. Such techniques often bring with them an illusion of immediacy, the idea that the body and its diseases... more
Advanced medical imaging, such as CT, fMRI and PET, has undergone enormous progress in recent years, both in accuracy and utilization. Such techniques often bring with them an illusion of immediacy, the idea that the body and its diseases can be directly inspected. In this paper we target this illusion and address the issue of the reliability of advanced imaging tests as knowledge procedures, taking positron emission tomography (PET) in oncology as paradigmatic case study. After individuating a suitable notion of reliability, we argue that (1) PET is a highly theory-laden and non-immediate knowledge procedure, in spite of the photographic-like quality of the images it delivers; (2) the diagnostic conclusions based on the interpretation of PET images are population-dependent; (3) PET images require interpretation, which is inherently observer-dependent and therefore variable. We conclude with a three-step methodological proposal for enhancing the reliability of advanced medical imaging.
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The relation between philosophy and biomedicine has been reassessed and rethought in the last few years: on the one hand, philosophy of science has paid increasing attention to actual modes of biomedical research and clinical practice; on... more
The relation between philosophy and biomedicine has been reassessed and rethought in the last few years: on the one hand, philosophy of science has paid increasing attention to actual modes of biomedical research and clinical practice; on the other, classes in philosophy, and more generally, in the humanities, have started entering medical curricula. However, the role of philosophy in medical education is not yet unanimously recognized, with situations differing significantly in various national and international contexts. In line with the tradition in Italy and other countries of reflecting on clinical methodology and with the recent initiatives at the crossroads between medicine and philosophy, this contribution aims to argue for the mutual relevance of medicine and philosophy in educational processes, and to suggest some possible forms of implementation of their interactions.
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Much of the recent philosophical debate on causation and causal explanation in the biological and biomedical sciences has focused on the notion of mechanism. Mechanisms, their nature and epistemic roles have been tackled by a range of... more
Much of the recent philosophical debate on causation and causal explanation in the biological and biomedical sciences has focused on the notion of mechanism. Mechanisms, their nature and epistemic roles have been tackled by a range of so-called neo-mechanistic theories, and widely discussed. Without denying the merits of this approach, our paper aims to show how lately it has failed to give proper credit to processes, which are central to the field, especially of contemporary molecular biology. Processes can be summed up in the notion of ‘pathway’, which is far from being just equivalent to that of ‘mechanism’ and has a profound epistemological and explanatory relevance. It is argued that an adequate consideration of pathways impels some rethinking of scientific explanation in molecular biology, namely its functional and contextual features. A number of examples are given to suggest that the focus of philosophical attention in this disciplinary field should shift from the notion of mechanism to the notion of pathway.
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Not only has the philosophical debate on causation been gaining ground in the last few decades, but it has also increasingly addressed the sciences. The biomedical sciences are among the most prominent fields that have been considered,... more
Not only has the philosophical debate on causation been gaining ground in the last few decades, but it has also increasingly addressed the sciences. The biomedical sciences are among the most prominent fields that have been considered, with a number of works tackling the understanding of the notion of cause, the assessment of genuinely causal relations and the use of causal knowledge in applied contexts. Far from denying the merits of the debate on causation and the major theories it comprises, this paper is meant as a stimulus for theorists of causation in the philosophy of biomedicine, with a focus on clinical matters. Without aiming at putting forward an original theory of causation and starting from the narration of two actual but paradigmatic cases at the joints between biomedical research and clinical practice, we want to point out that some pathological situations addressed by molecular medicine actually prove resistant to (at least) some of our major epistemological accounts of causal explanation. Given this scenario, which is very frequent in our hospitals, our analysis aims to provide a stimulus for the debate among theorists of causation in biomedicine interested in real cases in science in practice. We believe that this might in turn encourage some more general rethinking of the complex intertwinement of science, philosophy of science and ethics, as well as of the role of philosophy of science for clinical medicine itself.
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In this chapter, I propose that the novelty characterizing molecular medicine consists in a “fusion” of the clinical method and of the experimental method. In order to show this, I proceed, first, historical-critically and, then, by... more
In this chapter, I propose that the novelty characterizing molecular medicine consists in a “fusion” of the clinical method and of the experimental method. In order to show this, I proceed, first, historical-critically and, then, by emphasising tumor heterogeneity and the difference between cancer cell lines and primary tumor cultures. The historical-critical analysis will allow seeing whether molecular medicine is truly a novelty, since nothing is a cultural novelty except in the light of history of culture. The emphasis on the molecular approach to tumor heterogeneity will permit to consider what I will argue to be the very novelty, that is, the investigational method here adopted, which is, as said, a sort of fusion between the standard clinical method and the standard experimental method. This is the reason why I claim that “the clinical method enters the lab”.
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In the last few years, the lack of a unitary notion of gene across biological sciences has troubled the philosophy of biology community. However, the debate on this concept has remained largely historical or focused on particular cases... more
In the last few years, the lack of a unitary notion of gene across biological sciences has troubled the philosophy of biology community. However, the debate on this concept has remained largely historical or focused on particular cases presented by the scientific empirical advancements. Moreover, in the literature there are no explicit and reasonable arguments about why a philosophical clarification of the concept of gene is needed. In our paper, we claim that a philosophical clarification of the concept of gene does not contribute to biology. Unlike the question, for example, "What is a biological function?", we argue that the question "What is a gene?" could be answered by means of empirical research, in the sense that biologists' labour is enough to shed light on it.
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‘What is a concept?’: our hard and vexata quaestio! With good will and patience we could consider all the answers thrown up by a look at the history of philosophy, one by one, in order to find the best one, that one that satisfies our own... more
‘What is a concept?’: our hard and vexata quaestio! With good will and patience we could consider all the answers thrown up by a look at the history of philosophy, one by one, in order to find the best one, that one that satisfies our own personal philosophical feeling. Although this does not really seem such a good idea: we would probably be dead long before we arrived at the end of the list of possible theories. To avoid this inane and insane effort, I will focus on only four of them, and then I will propose my own. The leading thread that we will follow will be based on Cassirer’s proposal to fuse Kant’s doctrine of concept with Frege’s. In so doing, especially in Substance and Function, he offers a very stringent critique of Aristotle’s classical theory of concept. By means of his extremely lucid analysis it will be clear that there is a wide conceptual gap between the classical theory, which considers concepts as classes (class-concepts), and the modern and contemporary theories, which consider concepts as functions (function-concepts).
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We know that around 30% of all cancers are preventable. We also know that there is clear evidence of the causal relations between obesity and cancer. This means that there could be lifestyles that could prevent obesity and, thus, cancer.... more
We know that around 30% of all cancers are preventable. We also know that there is clear evidence of the causal relations between obesity and cancer. This means that there could be lifestyles that could prevent obesity and, thus, cancer. Yet, who legitimises these lifestyles and on which ground? Should citizens be free to accept or not to accept policies concerning them? This is a problem faced within what has been named libertarian paternalism. We discuss it, also proposing a version that we call deliberative libertarian paternalism, showing how important this problem is for a proper framing of the lifestyle policies concerning obesity and, thus, cancer prevention.
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Research Interests: Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, Logic, Philosophy of Medicine, Placebo Effect, and 9 moreClinical Reasoning, Philosophy of Science, Medicine and Technology, Philosophy of Nursing, Clinical research, Clinical Judgement, Diagnosis, Clinical Practices and Education, Prognosis, and Philosophy of Epidemiology
Adopting the US National Research Council definition of ‘precision medicine’, I present some of the main quandaries posed by this approach to biomedical research and clinical practice. I briefly review: (i) how much information provided... more
Adopting the US National Research Council definition of ‘precision medicine’, I present some of the main quandaries posed by this approach to biomedical research and clinical practice. I briefly review: (i) how much information provided by PM is actually used; (ii) what we should know about PM; (iii) the patients-in-waiting question, and the corresponding medicalization of society. In ‘Precision medicine and precise drugs’, I discuss some ethical problems concerning PM and precise drugs. The main aim of this chapter, however, is to present a brief selection of socio-ethical and epistemological problems that should be discussed at public level to help medicine remain loyal to its commitment to improve the quality of life of present and future patients.
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An epistemological analysis of models in the life sciences
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In this paper, first we recall some paradigmatic ways of implementing carrier screening policies in a community. Then we move on to a proposal concerning a possible bottom-up solution based on deliberative democracy (and thus on real... more
In this paper, first we recall some paradigmatic ways of implementing carrier screening policies in a community. Then we move on to a proposal concerning a possible bottom-up solution based on deliberative democracy (and thus on real citizens’ participation in decisional processes) that should legitimate libertarian paternalist strategies concerning which genetic screenings should be made and which policies should be adopted by the institutions.
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The paper indicates and explores both the main
threats whose impact may be ethically sensitive and the possible solutions
addressing them in the context of spinal cord injury repairing strategies.
threats whose impact may be ethically sensitive and the possible solutions
addressing them in the context of spinal cord injury repairing strategies.
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There is an increasing demand for help whenever ethical problems intersect clinical decisions, in particular decisions within psychosomatic medicine. In this chapter, we show how an ethical counselling centred on the needs and on the... more
There is an increasing demand for help whenever ethical problems intersect clinical
decisions, in particular decisions within psychosomatic medicine. In this
chapter, we show how an ethical counselling centred on the needs and on the
biographies of the patients could ameliorate their decisional process concerning
which clinical option should be pursued. And, of course, the ethical counselling
approach we propose does not diminish patient autonomy but, actually, increases
patient empowerment.
decisions, in particular decisions within psychosomatic medicine. In this
chapter, we show how an ethical counselling centred on the needs and on the
biographies of the patients could ameliorate their decisional process concerning
which clinical option should be pursued. And, of course, the ethical counselling
approach we propose does not diminish patient autonomy but, actually, increases
patient empowerment.
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This entry focuses on the role that the concept of identity has for framing, approaching, and possibly resolving moral dilemmas in bioethics. First, it introduces some of the key questions pertaining to the philosophical debate about... more
This entry focuses on the role that the concept of identity has for framing, approaching, and possibly resolving moral dilemmas in bioethics. First, it introduces some of the key questions pertaining to the philosophical debate about identity. Second , it provides a synthetic overview of the main philosophical accounts of identity. Finally, it charts the most representative issues that arise in bioethics in relation to questions about identity.