Philosophy Department Approaches toPhilosophy of Medicine Education

The philosophy of medicine is a branch of philosophy. Therefore, there is nothing strange about teaching the philosophy of medicine in the philosophy departments of universities. Nevertheless, it is true that philosophy of medicine courses offered within philosophy departments often feel unfamiliar. This is not only because the teaching of the philosophy of medicine is rare in the philosophy departments of Korean universities. The fundamental reason for the unfamiliarity of the philosophy of medicine lies in the perception that medicine itself is a highly specialized field; accordingly, the philosophy of medicine, being centered around this specialization, is also highly specialized. This philosophical branch is recognized as an academic discipline that is practiced 'by medical professionals, for medical professionals'. However, the philosophy of medicine can be distinguished into two different research trends: “physicians' philosophy of medicine” and “philosophers' philosophy of medicine.” The designation of 'a discipline by medical professionals, for medical professionals' would pertain to the first trend. In this article, we briefly distinguish these two trends of the philosophy of medicine. Then, we examine how the education of the philosophy of medicine is conducted at Dong-A University's Department of Philosophy and Biomedical Ethics, the “Philosophy of Medicine” course offered at Department of Philosophy in Kyung Hee University, and the “Medicine through the Lens of Philosophy” course at the Humanitas College of Kyung Hee University. This will allow us to explore how philosophy departments approach the education of the philosophy of medicine and its significance.