Medicine and Health in Africa
PIs: Alex Broadbent, Zinhle Mncube, Ben Smart
Gifford (2011:1) describes the philosophy of medicine as a branch of philosophy that “encompasses the topics connected to the philosophy of science that arise in reflection upon medical science and practice.” That is, theorists in the philosophy of medicine are concerned with questions such as, what is health? How should we understand the concept of disease? How should we assess medical evidence? In the Medicine and Health in Africa project, we look at these and other, often overlooked, types of questions in the philosophy of medicine with perspectives, concepts and insights informed by our African context.
Indigenous Knowledge Systems
PI: Mongane Serote
This project concerns developing an IKS Portal. To initiate it, Mongane needs to embark on verifying and validating what he has called the IKS categories. These are: IKs social issues, institutions, technologies, biodiversity and bioprospecting and lastly, the liberation processes. When he was CEO of Freedom Park, he initiated and commissioned the emergence of an IKS Incubation and Innovation Unit concept which he thinks should be further developed. It is his intention to also use that as a reference point.
Rationality and Power
PIs: Chad Harris and Veli Mitova
This project focuses on two bundles of normative issues in epistemology – rationality and epistemic power. The rationality strand of the project compares Scientific rationality with Indigneous Knowledge Systems. In particular, it interrogates the notion that there is an inherent tension between traditional and contemporary African knowledge and the scientific worldview. The epistemic power strand of the project aims at putting into dialogue standard reasons' talk with epistemic injustice talk in the hope of illuminating our epistemic practice better than either does on its own.
PIs: Alex Broadbent, Zinhle Mncube, Ben Smart
Gifford (2011:1) describes the philosophy of medicine as a branch of philosophy that “encompasses the topics connected to the philosophy of science that arise in reflection upon medical science and practice.” That is, theorists in the philosophy of medicine are concerned with questions such as, what is health? How should we understand the concept of disease? How should we assess medical evidence? In the Medicine and Health in Africa project, we look at these and other, often overlooked, types of questions in the philosophy of medicine with perspectives, concepts and insights informed by our African context.
Indigenous Knowledge Systems
PI: Mongane Serote
This project concerns developing an IKS Portal. To initiate it, Mongane needs to embark on verifying and validating what he has called the IKS categories. These are: IKs social issues, institutions, technologies, biodiversity and bioprospecting and lastly, the liberation processes. When he was CEO of Freedom Park, he initiated and commissioned the emergence of an IKS Incubation and Innovation Unit concept which he thinks should be further developed. It is his intention to also use that as a reference point.
Rationality and Power
PIs: Chad Harris and Veli Mitova
This project focuses on two bundles of normative issues in epistemology – rationality and epistemic power. The rationality strand of the project compares Scientific rationality with Indigneous Knowledge Systems. In particular, it interrogates the notion that there is an inherent tension between traditional and contemporary African knowledge and the scientific worldview. The epistemic power strand of the project aims at putting into dialogue standard reasons' talk with epistemic injustice talk in the hope of illuminating our epistemic practice better than either does on its own.
