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Hope, Despair, and Other Strategies of Patients

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Handbook of the Philosophy of Medicine

Abstract

Is hope an emotion or a virtue? Is a patient’s hope measurable? Philosophers and healthcare researcher have differed in their approaches and answers to such questions, but some areas of greater clarity and convergence seem to be emerging. The dynamics of hope, despair, and hopelessness have been more clearly delineated. Hope is neither simply an emotion nor a propositional attitude. It may be understood by patients either as determined by the doctor or in the power of the patient. The clinical and therapeutic relevance of hope and despair depend less on measuring hope in patients than on listening to the individual patient.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biomedical Teaching Organisation, Edinburgh University Medical School, Teviot Place, EH8 9AG, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

    Kenneth Boyd

Authors
  1. Kenneth Boyd
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kenneth Boyd .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom

    Thomas Schramme

  2. Philosophy, History and Law, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom

    Steven Edwards

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© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Boyd, K. (2017). Hope, Despair, and Other Strategies of Patients. In: Schramme, T., Edwards, S. (eds) Handbook of the Philosophy of Medicine. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8688-1_25

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