Doubt – Part Two
Immersion in water makes the straight seem bent. Reason confused by false appearances is restored by measurement. This drives out vague notions of greater or less,….surely the better part of thought relies on measurement.
Socrates
We travel like Ulysses to learn of the particolored world and its motley ways, but what we see is mostly patterns formed in our minds long before we took the first step.
RM Adams
A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.
David Hume
First take of the attached Pizzo et al editorial is likely “Of course, we all agree.” But do we? I imagine a good number of physicians and providers might be disturbed by Pizzo et al. There is some irony and inconsistency within. For example, the second author is the medical director of the Stanford Center for Integrative Medicine. Visit their website and count the number of “therapies” offered that lack a robust evidence base.
All CQI begins with a look in the mirror – a University of CQI axiom. Schopenhauer – “A person can do as he wills, but cannot will as he wills.” I find inspiration in this aphorism, though not precisely certain why. Humean John Ioannidis gets right to the crux of a related matter (attached) – be respectfully wary of physicians and scientistswho sign petitions. At best a perilous pitch of ordained authority and expertise (Daniel Callahan),…..worse, self-delusion (Friedrich Nietzsche),…..worst, hierarchy and coercion (Simone Weil). Ask yourself where you experience this in your own life.
Joe Kaempf, MD
District VIII Oregon Representative
Portland, OR
Volume 13, Number 8