This book analyses and discusses from a philosophical perspective the concepts of health, well-being and quality of life in contemporary biomedical research. The guiding idea of the book is that different concepts of health, well-being, and quality of life lead to different types of projects, actions and policies, both at the individual and institutional level. For this reason, it is important to analyse them and make them clear, in their interweaving of objective dimensions (the facts) and evaluative dimensions (the values).
1 Introduction.- 2 Health concepts in medicine.- 3 Conceptual choice in
medicine.- 4 Health as no disease.- 5 Health as capacity.- 6 Health,
Adaptation, and the Environment.- 7 Health as complete well-being.- 8 Health
Measures: Philosophical Challenges.- 9 Conclusion. Specialized Conceptual
Tools for Medicine and a Role for Philosophy.
Elisabetta Lalumera is an Associate Professor at the University of Bologna, Department for Life Quality Studies (QUVI), Italy, and Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa
