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. 2023 Nov 3;48(6):551-564.
doi: 10.1093/jmp/jhad035.

On Drugs

Sam Baron  1 , Sara Linton  2 , Maureen A O'Malley  3
Affiliations

On Drugs

Sam Baron et al. J Med Philos. .

Abstract

Despite their centrality to medicine, drugs are not easily defined. We introduce two desiderata for a basic definition of medical drugs. It should: (a) capture everything considered to be a drug in medical contexts and (b) rule out anything that is not considered to be a drug. After canvassing a range of options, we find that no single definition of drugs can satisfy both desiderata. We conclude with three responses to our exploration of the drug concept: maintain a monistic concept, or choose one of two pluralistic outcomes. Notably, the distinction between drugs and other substances is placed under pressure by the most plausible of the options available.

Keywords: conceptual analysis; drug; monism; pharmacology; pluralism.

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