- 1Faculty
of Medicine, and Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science
and Technology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract
The
aim of this article is to create a space for historical thinking in
medical practice. To this end, we draw on the ideas of R.G. Collingwood
(1889-1943), the renowned British philosopher of history, and explore
the implications of his philosophy for clinical medicine. We show how
Collingwood's philosophy provides a compelling argument for the
re-centring of medical practice around the patient history as a means of
restoring to the clinical encounter the human meaning that is too often
lost in modern medicine. Furthermore, we examine how Collingwood's
historical thinking offers a patient-centred epistemology and a more
pluralistic concept of evidence that includes the qualitative, narrative
evidence necessary for human understanding. We suggest that clinical
medicine can benefit from Collingwood's historical thinking, and, more
generally, illustrates how a philosophy of medicine that draws on
diverse sources from the humanities offers a richer, more empathetic
clinical practice.
© 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
KEYWORDS:
R.G. Collingwood; evidence; historical thinking; history taking; narrative; patient history; philosophy of history
