Out of Hours

An A–Z of medical

Z is for Zeno aware of it, not merely be objects within it. But now I have to admit that a key function “ ... change is not of philosophy is to make us much less Zeno’s paradox is one of the best known certain about what we think we know than possible in the world; it tricks of . Suppose when we started. is only our mind, with its Achilles wishes to overtake a tortoise. He So, please don’t take anything you read in quickly sprints to where the tortoise was a journal too seriously — especially an A–Z illusion of time, which walking when he set out. But by now the of medical philosophy. is slippery and changes.” tortoise has moved on a bit. Never mind, it science only gets us so far. Our commitment only take a moment for Achilles to get to one another as fellow human to where the tortoise is now — but hang on, is more important. As doctors we should by then … Repeat times n, but rationally, by remember that. this account, Achilles can never overtake the tortoise. CPD further study and reflective notes Zeno used the absurdity of this paradox to These notes will help you to read and challenge Parmenides’ ‘proof’ that change is reflect further on any of the brief articles not possible in the world; it is only our mind, in this series. If this learning relates to with its illusion of time, which changes. We your professional development then you may not agree with Parmenides, but how should put it in your annual PDP and claim can we escape Zeno’s paradox? self-certified CPD points within the RCGP Paradoxes are used as thought guidelines set out at http://bit.ly/UT5Z3V. experiments in philosophy, a sort of test If your reading and reflection is occasional track for ideas. Achilles and the tortoise is and opportunistic, claims in this one area a logical paradox. Bertrand Russell offered: should not exceed 10 CPD credits per year. However if you decide to use this material ‘The town barber is a man living in the town to develop your understanding of medical who shaves all those, and only those, men philosophy and as a significant part in the town who do not shave themselves.’ of a PDP, say over 2 years, then a larger number of credits can be claimed so long So who shaves the barber? as there is evidence of balance over a 5-year This paradox is far less trivial than it cycle. These credits should demonstrate the sounds, as Russell was demonstrating the Box 1. Reflective notes impact of your reflection on your practice implausibility of any rigorous of sets (for example, by way of case studies or other By reading this series has there been any a necessary foundation for certain evidence), and must be validated by your development in your understanding of: of mathematics. appraiser. • How we can know things? Eubulides of Miletus described linguistic • The human condition? paradoxes. How many grains of sand does David Misselbrook, • The proper practice of ? it take to make a heap? Clearly one grain GP, Dean Emeritus of the Royal Society of Medicine, Past President FHPMP the Society of Apothecaries, • What further study will you do? of sand is not a heap, and neither are two. Senior Lecturer in Family Medicine RCSI Medical We can go on adding grains of sand and at University of Bahrain and BJGP Senior Ethics some point we will decide we have a heap. Advisor. But at this tipping point do we really not have a heap of sand if we remove a single grain? DOI: 10.3399/bjgp15X683713 Box 2. Where to go from here? Paradoxes show us that both our If you have enjoyed this series then here are and our language have limits that we tend some possible starting points for further study: not to recognise until we get caught out. Warburton N. Philosophy: the basics. 5th edn. Language is the cognitive modelling tool that London: Routledge, 2012. forms our only rational way of handling the Sandel M. : what’s the right thing to do? world. But language is not a precision tool; London: Penguin, 2010. it is often fuzzy, and reason doesn’t always Campbell A. : the basics. London: mesh with the world itself. As Wittgenstein Routledge, 2013. taught us, language is about shared human Or why not sign up for the Diploma course in worlds, not about any guaranteed grasp on the Ethics and Philosophy of Healthcare, run by the Society of Apothecaries? the world as it is in itself. ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE http://www.apothecaries.org/faculty-of-the- So this final article is a sort of confession. David Misselbrook history-philosophy-of-medicine-parm/diploma- I have talked about how we can know Senior Lecturer in Family Medicine, RCSI Bahrain, in-the-ethics-and-philosophy-of-healthcare/ things. I have talked about how we can be PO Box 15503, Adliya, Kingdom of Bahrain. a part of the universe and yet, a marvel, be E-mail: [email protected]

88 British Journal of General Practice, February 2015