Article ID: CBB543679230

Bodies of Inference: Christian Wolff’s Epistemology of the Life Sciences and Medicine (2015)

unapi

This paper explores Christian Wolff’s attempt to introduce his scientific method in the life sciences and medicine. As one can expect in the light of recent scholarship, Wolff firmly relies on experience and shares Pitcairne’s conviction that physicians should imitate astronomers in basing their claims on observations. However, Wolff’s rational foundation of medicine also highlights the heuristic value of hypotheses, the use of a priori explanations in pathology, the teleological character and metaphysical import of physiological and medical concepts. Thus, his epistemological attitude towards living beings represents an interesting alternative to the purely empirical trend in early modern medicine.

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https://data.isiscb.org/isis/citation/CBB543679230/

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Authors & Contributors
Molina-Betancur, Sebastián
Vincenti, Denise
Rumore, Paola
Gaeta, Raffaele
Tavernese, Vincenzo
Černá, Jana
Concepts
Medicine
Epistemology
Pathology
Experience; witness
Science and culture
Natural philosophy
Time Periods
Early modern
17th century
18th century
Medieval
19th century
Renaissance
Places
Europe
Italy
Leiden (Netherlands)
Edinburgh
Spain
Germany
Institutions
University of Padua
Royal Society of London
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