Title

Philosophy of Health and Disease and the Experimental Turn

Speaker
(Affiliation)

Somogy Varga, Ph.D.
(Professor of Philosophy, Aarhus University)

Biography

Somogy Varga is a Professor of Philosophy at Aarhus University and the Director of the Center for Philosophy and the Health Sciences. His research focuses on interconnected topics in the philosophy of science, medicine, and mental health. He has published four books and research articles in journals in medicine, psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy.

Summary

The talk will begin by introducing key debates in the philosophy of medicine, with a focus on the concepts of health and disease. Prof. Varga will then discuss how the field is taking an experimental turn, incorporating empirical methods to examine how people use these concepts. Drawing on several recent studies, he will present a new approach to understanding the nature and function of these concepts and their implications for philosophy, public health interventions, and clinical communication -- a perspective that forms the foundation of a forthcoming book.