Disease and Diagnosis: Value-Dependent Realism

In this study of the concept of disease and the philosophy of diagnosis, the author proposes 'value-dependent realism' as a way to show how value judgements can be foundational for the practice of diagnosis without losing the sense that diseases are real entities. In the light of contemporary philosophy of science, the idea that there is a strict separation between fact and value is no longer tenable. Hence, all scientific facts have a value component.