Aim of the course is to provide to students knowledge on historical development of Medicine, within the more general context of the history of science, and from the viewpoint of history of ideas and concepts.

The main learning objective is the knowledge of the principal characteristics and determinants of the markets functionings. Particular focus will be devoted to the study of the healthcare sector. Students are expected to learn how an economic analysis can be used to design and implement healthcare services Finally, students will learn the use of economic analysis and cost -benefit approach to evaluate public policies with particular focus to health technologies and the evaluation of new health professional roles.

The Subject introduces several main themes of Moral philosophy linking them to Moral thinking and Moral decision making in a systematic and existencial dimension.
Medicine, as all other health professions, is not completely reducible to science. Even if it is built on repeated and wide observation of sensitive phenomena, and even if it tries to elaborate theories that explain them, as the Austrian philosopher Seifert points out, medicine is not a pure science, because it has a practical purpose. Nor is it a mere empirical science, because it presupposes a philosophical foundation as much as the other sciences.
Actually, medicine, and all the medical sciences, requires a philosophical foundation much more than other sciences since their object is the human being. Indeed, for the most part, the human being in the condition of suffering and in need of help. As Josef Seifert claims, to understand itself, medicine has to find the answer to the question: who is the man? And science is not enough to find this answer, since the idea of “human being” incorporates in itself a number of concepts: we need to both refer to the anthropological background and open to ethical questions.
So physicians will be not only required a thorough scientific knowledge, but also a broader knowledge of the constant bonds with philosophical and ethical. In fact, as pointed out in some recent publications by the University of Stanford framing “… the core moral challenge of public health as balancing individual liberties with the advancement of good health outcomes. drinking water or compel people with active, infectious tuberculosis to be treated ... ".
The subject is oriented to the formation of human beings like our students, through philosophical and moral reflection and moral reasoning ability: student will develop attitudes and values ​​such as humility, tolerance, understanding, respect and openness towards others.
Students are encouraged to examine their own views in the light of the traditional approaches. Although students are never required to agree with any position expressed in this class, they are required to demonstrate a sufficient understanding of the ideas presented in subject contents