Die Homöopathie der Zukunft! - International Hahnemann Congress

INTERNATIONAL HAHNEMANN CONGRESS
IHC
MIT SIMULTANÜBERSETZUNG
SIMULTANEOUSLY TRANSLATED
Homeopathy and science
The later Hahnemann considered homeopathy the only possible and
true pharmaco-therapeutics with (prospective) "mathematical” certainty
of healing (Organon, §§53,109,145/1), i.e. scientific medicine par
exellence.
After 200 years of history of science witnessing alleged "paradigm shifts”
in ever increasing frequency, the question arises: Since any science is
based upon metaphysical assumptions - is there still (or again) any consensus
on those of Hahnemann's doctrine? Can we, in the 21st century,
still advocate without further hesitation principles unquestioned in his
time such as rationalism, empirism, strong causality, teleology of nature,
and belief in progress - when we consider modern scientific standards
such as reproducibility and quantifiability or postmodern challenges such
as scientific pluralism, constructivism or chaos theory?
On the basis of a new approach in philosophy of nature, the lecture
attempts to determine the status of homeopathy within the antagonisms
between (natural) science and (natural) philosophy as well as between
theory and practice, in order to facilitate both a critical, realistic and
modern self-reflexion within homeopathy and a sensible line of reasoning
towards conventional medicine.
PD Dr. med. Dr. phil. Josef M. Schmidt is a consultant physician of
general medicine and homeopathy and assistant professor of medical
history at the University of Munich. He is known for his editions of the
Organon (historical-comparative edition, standard edition, new edition
with synopsis and glossary), a seminal study on Hahnemann's philosophical
ideas, a concise pocket textbook of homeopathy, and many other
publications. From 1991 to 1992 he was research associate at the
University of California, San Francisco, and since 1992 he has been lecturing
history of homeopathy at the University of Munich. In 1993 he was
awarded the Professor Alfons Stiegele Research Award in homeopathy.
From 1995 to 2001 he co-ordinated an extensive homeopathic survey
sponsored by the naturopathic hospital in Munich. He is currently
teaching and researching at the Institute of Medical History of the
University of Munich.
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