Fetishisation of RCTs by Professor David Papineau

About the speaker

Professor David Papineau is a British academic philosopher who has worked in metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophies of science, mind, and mathematics. He is one of the originators of the teleosemantic theory of mental representation, a solution to the problem of intentionality which derives the intentional content of our beliefs from their biological purpose. In 1990, David joined the Department of Philosophy at King’s College London as Professor of Philosophy of Science.

About the talk

Many medical practitioners view Randomized Controlled Trials as the only good way to establish causal conclusions. Not only is this a methodological mistake, but it fosters the view that the end of greater medical knowledge justifies the means of patient deception. This talk will give examples.