What has typically happened over the past two hundred…
““What has typically happened over the past two hundred years is the slow emergence of a concept as a gradual, evolutionary exercise in collective wisdom: People see something in their patients that hadn’t occurred to them before; they write about it; others start seeing the same thing – for example, that some patients seem to be driven by a kind of furious rage – and slowly the concept emerges. But what comes out of this collective filtering is often a powerful notion, because lots of thoughtful people have endorsed it. (..) in the absence of actual science, the disease designers of the 1970s who produced DSM- 3 in 1980 settled for “consensus”: If a group of influential persons sitting about a table could agree that a disease existed, then it existed.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Collective observation and consensus shape medical concepts over time.
In simple terms: Ideas evolve through shared observation.
Key Takeaway
Value collaborative insight while seeking evidence.
Themes
science
consensus
collective wisdom
medical history
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
Type
Collective wisdom:1
Consensus:1
Doctor:0
Fitness:0
Influential person:0
Wisdom:1
Concept Emerges:1
Disease Existed:0
Slow Emergence:1
When to use this quote
- clinical practice
- research meetings
- policy making
Key Concepts
epistemology
social dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- How does consensus influence your field?
- What safeguards ensure scientific rigor?
A Different Perspective
Consensus may solidify unverified ideas.