¿Es la medicina la más humana de las ciencias y la más científica de las humanidades?

Abstract

From a proposition that synthesizes the thought of Edmund Pellegrino, we offer an analysis of three positions on the relationship between medicine, science and the humanities. Starting from the question: Is medicine the most humane of sciences and the most scientific of the humanities? I intend to reflect on the forcefulness of the phrase that the American doctor and philosopher held and repeated in various places: "Medicine is the most humane of sciences and the most scientific of the humanities" (De Santiago, 2014a, p. 78). The proposition is relevant because it supports a proposal for harmony between apparently distant disciplines, vindicates the role of the humanities in various areas of culture, and proposes a foundational criterion for bioethics as a discipline that, in order to achieve its objectives, needs to engage in dialogue. the humanities with the life sciences. Edmund Pellegrino was an American physician who lived between 1920 and 2013. Much of his life was dedicated to reflecting on the link between the humanities and medicine, giving a great boost to bioethics in the United States and the world through his collaboration with UNESCO.