The Philosophy of Public Health

The Philosophy of Public Health PDF Author: Dr Angus Dawson
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN: 140948601X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 291

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Book Description
Public health is a particular area of medical practice that raises a series of philosophical issues that require urgent discussion. The philosophy of public health includes metaphysical questions such as, what do we mean by 'public' in public health? How ought we to conceptualise the idea of 'populations'? Are they merely aggregations of individuals? It also includes epistemological questions such as, what methods are most appropriate for thinking about public health? How do empirical and normative issues relate to each other? Controversial ethical, political and social issues, including those relating to vaccinations, the threat of pandemics and possible restrictions to individual liberties, public health research, screening and obesity policy should also be considered. This volume includes a diverse set of papers exploring a number of the most important theoretical and practical issues that arise across the whole field of the philosophy of public health.

The Philosophy of Public Health

The Philosophy of Public Health PDF Author: Dr Angus Dawson
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN: 140948601X
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 291

Get Book Here

Book Description
Public health is a particular area of medical practice that raises a series of philosophical issues that require urgent discussion. The philosophy of public health includes metaphysical questions such as, what do we mean by 'public' in public health? How ought we to conceptualise the idea of 'populations'? Are they merely aggregations of individuals? It also includes epistemological questions such as, what methods are most appropriate for thinking about public health? How do empirical and normative issues relate to each other? Controversial ethical, political and social issues, including those relating to vaccinations, the threat of pandemics and possible restrictions to individual liberties, public health research, screening and obesity policy should also be considered. This volume includes a diverse set of papers exploring a number of the most important theoretical and practical issues that arise across the whole field of the philosophy of public health.

Philosophy for Public Health and Public Policy

Philosophy for Public Health and Public Policy PDF Author: James Wilson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192657860
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
Public health has never been more important, or more controversial. What states do, and fail to do, makes a significant difference to the lives we are able to lead. Putting public health first would allow improvements to the health of everyone, especially the worst off. Yet many citizens actively oppose state interference to improve population health, complaining that it encroaches on personal liberty. How should policymakers reconcile these conflicting priorities? This groundbreaking book argues that philosophy is not just useful, but vital, for thinking coherently about priorities in health policy and public policy. Novel, theoretically rigorous, yet practical, Philosophy for Public Health and Public Policy examines why it is so common for public policies to fail in practice to improve the problems they aim to solve, and what to do about this. It argues that a shift to complex systems approaches to policymaking is overdue. Philosophers need to become much more attuned to the contingency and messiness of real world policymaking, and to the ways in which philosophical tools such as thought experiments are frequently unreliable. This book also provides an ethical framework for public health policy. It argues that public health is a right of citizens, alongside more familiar rights such as liberty and security. Public health should not be thought of merely as interference with the rights that individuals have, but as necessary to protect these rights. Chapters explore implications for resource allocation, personal responsibility, health equity, and the control of communicable disease.

Philosophy of Population Health

Philosophy of Population Health PDF Author: Sean Valles
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351670786
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Population health has recently grown from a series of loosely connected critiques of twentieth-century public health and medicine into a theoretical framework with a corresponding field of research—population health science. Its approach is to promote the public’s health through improving everyday human life: afford-able nutritious food, clean air, safe places where children can play, living wages, etc. It recognizes that addressing contemporary health challenges such as the prevalence of type 2 diabetes will take much more than good hospitals and public health departments. Blending philosophy of science/medicine, public health ethics and history, this book offers a framework that explains, analyses and largely endorses the features that define this relatively new field. Presenting a philosophical perspective, Valles helps to clarify what these features are and why they matter, including: searching for health’s "upstream" causes in social life, embracing a professional commitment to studying and ameliorating the staggering health inequities in and between populations; and reforming scientific practices to foster humility and respect among the many scientists and non- scientists who must work collaboratively to promote health. Featuring illustrative case studies from around the globe at the end of all main chapters, this radical monograph is written to be accessible to all scholars and advanced students who have an interest in health—from public health students to professional philosophers.

Global Public Health

Global Public Health PDF Author: Franklin White
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN: 0199751900
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 378

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Book Description
Amid ongoing shifts world economic and political systems, the promise for future public health is more tenuous than ever. Will the today's economic systems sustain tomorrow's health? Will future generations inherit fair access to health and health care? The best hope for the health of future generations is the establishment of a well-grounded, global public health system for today. To that end, Global Public Health: Ecological Foundations addresses both the challenges and cooperative solutions of contemporary public health, all within a framework of social justice, environmental sustainability, and global cooperation. With an emphasis upon ecological foundations, this text approaches public health principles-history, foundations, topics, and applications-with a community-first perspective. By achieving global reach through cooperative, local interventions, this text illustrates that through the practice of public health we can also maintain the health of our world. Blending established wisdom with new perspectives, Global Public Health will stimulate better understanding of how the different streams of public health can work more synergistically to promote global health equity. It is a foundation on which future public health measures can be built and succeed.

The Philosophy of Public Health

The Philosophy of Public Health PDF Author: Angus Dawson
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN: 9780754660439
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 194

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Book Description
Public health is once again becoming a major political and social issue in the 21st century, especially in relation to issues such as vaccination, the threat of pandemics, bioterrorism, smoking and obesity. A diverse set of theoretical ideas have emerged recently in the legal, political, bioethical and philosophical fields that could usefully be applied to these and other issues in public health. This book provides a much needed introduction to some of the relevant philosophical concepts and arguments that might be used to build a philosophy of public health. Consisting of both theoretical contributions and case studies, this multidisciplinary collection of essays will both inform and generate debate among academics, policy makers and practitioners about these important issues in public health.

The Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics

The Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics PDF Author: Anna C. Mastroianni
Publisher:
ISBN: 0190245190
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 939

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Book Description
Public health raises critical ethics issues and concerns, making public heath ethics an essential topic for students and public health professionals. The 73 chapters in this volume examine public health ethics across a broad range of public health topics both in the U.S. and globally. It is the first ever comprehensive collection devoted to public health ethics.

Criminal Law, Philosophy and Public Health Practice

Criminal Law, Philosophy and Public Health Practice PDF Author: A. M. Viens
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107470366
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
The goal of improving public health involves the use of different tools, with the law being one way to influence the activities of institutions and individuals. Of the regulatory mechanisms afforded by law to achieve this end, criminal law remains a perennial mechanism to delimit the scope of individual and group conduct. Utilising criminal law may promote or hinder public health goals, and its use raises a number of complex questions that merit exploration. This examination of the interface between criminal law and public health brings together international experts from a variety of disciplines, including law, criminology, public health, philosophy and health policy, in order to examine the theoretical and practical implications of using criminal law to improve public health.

Philosophy of Epidemiology

Philosophy of Epidemiology PDF Author: A. Broadbent
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137315601
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Epidemiology is one of the fastest growing and increasingly important sciences. This thorough analysis lays out the conceptual foundations of epidemiology, identifying traps and setting out the benefits of properly understanding this fascinating and important discipline, as well as providing the means to do so.

Public Health Ethics

Public Health Ethics PDF Author: Stephen Holland
Publisher: Polity
ISBN: 0745633021
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 239

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Book Description
How far should we go in protecting and promoting public health? Can we force people to give up unhealthy habits and make healthier choices, or does everyone have the right to decide their own lifestyle? Should we stop treating smokers who refuse to give up smoking? [...] Should parents be required to have their children vaccinated? [...] Such questions are at the heart of public health ethics. The author shows that to understand and debate these issues requires philosophy: moral philosophies, such as utilitarianism and deontology, as well as political philosophies such as liberalism and communitarianism. And philosophy informs other aspects of public health, such as epidemiology and health promotion. The aim of this book is to provide a lively, accessible and philosophically informed introduction to such issues. It is an ideal textbook for students taking courses in public health ethics. And since this book develops systematic discussions of issues in public health ethics, there is also much here to engage and challenge the more advanced reader. [Ed.]

Social Justice

Social Justice PDF Author: Madison Powers
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199705194
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
In bioethics, discussions of justice have tended to focus on questions of fairness in access to health care: is there a right to medical treatment, and how should priorities be set when medical resources are scarce. But health care is only one of many factors that determine the extent to which people live healthy lives, and fairness is not the only consideration in determining whether a health policy is just. In this pathbreaking book, senior bioethicists Powers and Faden confront foundational issues about health and justice.