Title
Family Medicine as a Social Science
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1981
Source
The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy
Volume
6
Issue
4
First Page
387
Last Page
410
URL with Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jmp/6.4.387
Abstract
The branch of clinical medicine most likely to qualify as a social science is family medicine. Whether family medicine is a social science is addressed in four steps. First, the nature of family medicine is outlined. Second, the extent to which social science knowledge is used in family practice is discussed. Third, the extent to which family medicine can qualify as a social science is considered with respect to an orthodox model of the social sciences, that is, one that emphasizes affinities between the natural and social sciences. Finally, the same question is addressed with respect to an unorthodox model of the social sciences, that is, one that stresses the evaluative nature of the social sciences.
