195 Hierarchies: A Systematic Database Update
The database of evidence hierarchies has been updated based on a new systematic review of the medical literature, and now contains over 195 hierarchies.
Causal Relevance (Philosophy of Diagnosis, Part 3)
This series of philosophical papers unpacks six philosophical issues in diagnostics and develops a pluralistic model of diagnosis. This paper analyses the role of causal relevance in diagnostics. Are diagnoses defined by their causal relevance to symptoms?
5 years: Hierarchies of Evidence in Evidence-Based Medicine
In the five years since the publication of Hierarchies of Evidence in Evidence-Based Medicine, what has changed and what lessons can philosophers learn?
Pathognomy, Sine Qua Non and Constitutive Matching (Philosophy of Diagnosis, Part 2)
This series of philosophical papers unpacks six philosophical issues in diagnostics and develops a pluralistic model of diagnosis. This paper presents a set of minimal constraints which any theory of diagnostics must satisfy based on pathognomy and sine qua non relationships.
Socrates in the Dungeon
I recently used the massive AI language model GPT-2 to create some humorous mock-Socratic dialogues. I’ve talked previously about the use of AI to generate philosophy. In the past, I’ve advised interested folks who don’t have the technical know-how to experiment with an open language model like GPT-2 to use …
Automatic Gadfly: Socrates by Machine
Recently, I’ve been experimenting with creating philosophical work using massive machine learning language models such as GPT-2, sometimes prompted to adopt specific philosophers’ styles and sometimes just letting it run. I’ve generated essay text, clinical trial reports and aphorisms in different philosophers’ styles. After reading Justin Weinberg’s post on the …
Problems of Diagnosis (Philosophy of Diagnosis, Part 1)
This series of philosophical papers unpacks six philosophical issues in diagnostics and develops a pluralistic model of diagnosis. This introductory paper outlines the six roles of diagnostics and distinguishes and relates the six problems of diagnosis.
Are hierarchies history?
Throughout my career as a philosopher of medicine, I have taken a special interest in hierarchies of evidence as used in Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) and beyond. My critique of evidence hierarchies has adapted and developed alongside recent movements towards a less rigid hierarchalism in EBM, and with the development of …
Dual Use Technology and GPT-3
Yesterday, AI researchers published a new paper entitled Language Models are Few-Shot Learners. This paper introduces GPT-3 (Generative Pretrained Transformer 3), the follow-up to last year’s GPT-2, which at the time it was released was the largest language model out there. GPT-2 was particularly impactful because of a cycle of media hype and consternation …
Random Reflections: Cochrane and the Origins of Hierarchies
In 1972, Archie Cochrane published Effectiveness and Efficiency: Random Reflections on Health Services. In a little under 86 pages, Cochrane offers a wide-ranged but succinct delivery of his experience and his philosophy of evidence in clinical practice. It’s a fascinating gallop through the concerns of one of the most influential figures …