Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26615541›Full record

ArticleJournal of bioethical inquiry2015

"Personal Knowledge" in Medicine and the Epistemic Shortcomings of Scientism.

Hugh Marshall McHugh, Simon Thomas Walker

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of bioethical inquiry, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Bioethics and Epistemic Scientism.Journal of bioethical inquiry · 2015
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Hugh Marshall McHughBioethics Centre, University of Otago, 71 Frederick St, Dunedin, New Zealand. hugh.mcq@gmail.com.
Simon Thomas WalkerBioethics Centre, University of Otago, 71 Frederick St, Dunedin, New Zealand.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In this paper, we outline a framework for understanding the different kinds of knowledge required for medical practice and use this framework to show how scientism undermines aspects of this knowledge. The framework is based on Michael Polanyi's claim that knowledge is primarily the product of the contemplations and convictions of persons and yet at the same time carries a sense of universality because it grasps at reality. Building on Polanyi's ideas, we propose that knowledge can be described along two intersecting "dimensions": the tacit-explicit and the particular-general. These dimensions supersede the familiar "objective-subjective" dichotomy, as they more accurately describe the relationship between medical science and medical practice. Scientism, we argue, excludes tacit and particular knowledge and thereby distorts "clinical reality" and impairs medical practice and medical ethics.

Indexed as

KnowledgeMedicinePhilosophy, MedicalBiological Science DisciplinesConcept FormationEvidence-Based MedicineHumansEvidence-based medicineMedical knowledgePhilosophy of medicinePolanyi

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.