Journal
JOURNAL OF HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
Volume 14, Issue 6, Pages 800-809Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD
DOI: 10.1177/1359105309338974
Keywords
epistemology; lay knowledge; medical knowledge; methodology; pragmatism
Categories
Funding
- Economic and Social Research Council [ES/F024274/1] Funding Source: researchfish
- ESRC [ES/F024274/1] Funding Source: UKRI
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The multiplicity of forms of health-related knowledge, including biomedical knowledge, lay knowledge and critical constructionist knowledge, raises challenges for health researchers. On one hand, there is a demand for a pluralist acceptance of the variety of health-related knowledge. On the other, the need to improve health calls for action, and thus for choices between opposing forms of knowledge. The present article proposes a pragmatist approach to this epistemological problem. According to pragmatism, knowledge is a tool for action and as such it should be evaluated according to whether it serves our desired interests. We identify implications for research methodology and the choice of research goals.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available