Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects
Date of Degree
9-2018
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Program
Philosophy
Advisor
Peter Godfrey-Smith
Committee Members
Jesse Prinz
John Greenwood
Subject Categories
Alternative and Complementary Medicine | Applied Ethics | Bioethics and Medical Ethics | Medical Sciences | Philosophy | Philosophy of Science
Keywords
placebo effect, conditioning, expectancies, philosophy of science, pseudoscience, health disparities
Abstract
This dissertation offers a philosophical analysis of the placebo effect. After offering an overview of recent evidence concerning the phenomenon, I consider several prominent accounts of the placebo effect that have been put forward and argue that none of them are able to adequately account for the diverse instantiations of the phenomenon. I then offer a novel account, which suggests that we ought to think of the placebo effect as encompassing three distinct responses: conditioned placebo responses, cognitive placebo responses, and network placebo responses. Next, I consider implications of the placebo effect’s role in complementary and alternative medicine for discussions of how to demarcate between science and pseudoscience within philosophy of science. Finally, I offer a bioethical argument that maintains that the neglect of the placebo effect within medicine may be contributing to an increase in health disparities along lines of race and ethnicity.
Recommended Citation
Friesen, Phoebe, "Demystifying the Placebo Effect" (2018). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2775
Included in
Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons, Applied Ethics Commons, Bioethics and Medical Ethics Commons, Medical Sciences Commons, Philosophy of Science Commons