Broadening global health knowledge: epistemic pluralism through Asian philosophical traditions

Global health continues to operate largely within a biomedical epistemological framework that, while effective in addressing acute disease and advancing clinical care, remains limited in responding to complex challenges such as mental health, chronic illness, and persistent inequities. These limitations are not merely technical but reflect deeper epistemic constraints in how health and care are conceptualised. This article argues that selected Asian philosophical traditions, often interpreted through the lens of orientalism, offer an under-recognised resource for rethinking global health. Drawing selectively on Taoist, Confucian, and Buddhist traditions, we highlight how principles of relationality, adaptability, and compassion provide alternative foundations for understanding health beyond the absence of disease. These traditions offer distinctive conceptualisations of relationality, compassion and well-being that can be placed in dialogue with contemporary biomedical and public-health approaches. While contemporary global health systems have increasingly incorporated practices such as mindfulness-based interventions, this integration has often occurred without engagement with their broader philosophical and epistemological implications. Recognising these perspectives and their potential for integration has important implications for global health practice, including reorienting medical education toward reflective and relational competencies, strengthening person-centred and community-engaged care models, and addressing knowledge hierarchies that marginalise ancient philosophical traditions. Reimagining global health therefore requires moving beyond unidirectional knowledge transfer toward a more pluralistic and dialogic framework, in which diverse traditions contribute to more holistic, equitable, and contextually responsive health systems.