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Philosophy and Medicine: the Oxford Connection

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

K. W. M. Fulford
K. W. M. Fulford*
Affiliation:
University Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX
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Abstract

Three aspects of the approach to philosophy advocated by the Oxford philosopher J. L. Austin are outlined: his conception of the nature of philosophical problems, essentially as a mixed bag; his method of linguistic analysis, namely, clarification of our concepts by active observation of the ways in which they are actually used rather than by passive reflection on their meanings; and his views on the organisation of philosophical research, that in some areas it should be pursued rather as a science is pursued, as a corporate rather than merely individual venture. It is suggested that Austin's approach provides the basis for a potentially fruitful two-way relationship between philosophical theory and medical practice.

Type
Philosophy and Practice
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 157 , Issue 1 , July 1990 , pp. 111 - 115
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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