Philosophy
6 pieces tagged Philosophy.
The Pyramid Schema: The Origins and Impact of Evidence Pyramids
[This paper has been updated in 2026 from the 2022 preprint] Evidence pyramids are amongst the most recognisable artefacts of the Evidence-Based Medicine movement. Yet no study has established the origins of evidence pyramids, or analysed whether they offer any information beyond simple lists or tables. In this paper, I establish the origins of the first evidence pyramid and argue that the pyramidal turn is a retrograde step in evidence appraisal.
The Machine Scientists: Iatrophysics and Selective Scientific Realism
The Machine Scientists - Giovanni Borelli, Jan Swammerdam and Niels Steensen - followed Rene Descartes in modelling the human body mechanically. The scientific success of this 'iatrophysical' programme, replete with rejected entities such as 'Animal Spirits', poses a problem for Scientific Realism. Using Psillos' moderate realism, this paper attempts to reconcile a selective realist position with the historical record.
5 years: Hierarchies of Evidence in Evidence-Based Medicine
In the five years since the publication of Hierarchies of Evidence in Evidence-Based Medicine, what has changed and what lessons can philosophers learn?
Machine Evidence: Trial by AI
Take a look at the following snippets from descriptions of clinical trials, thinking about how you'd rate the quality and strength of the evidence that comes from each:
Pluralism and the Problems of Demarcation
In 1983, Larry Laudan proclaimed the “Demise of the Demarcation Problem” (Laudan 1983). I will argue that the ‘simple demarcation’ problem should indeed be abandoned. However, abandoning the quest for simple demarcation does not entail that demarcation problems are...
Areas of Philosophy (WritePhilosophy Quiz)
Can you tell epistemology from metaphysics? Aesthetics from ethics? We have created this quiz to test your understanding of the terms for different fields or areas of philosophy.