Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon

Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 471 6126
Email
neil.pickering@otago.ac.nz
Position
Professor
Department
Bioethics Centre
Qualifications
BA(Gen Hons)(Exe) MPhil(CNAA) MA PhD(Wales)
Research summary
Philosophy, concepts, and ethics of health and disease
Teaching

Undergraduate and postgraduate bioethics

Memberships
  • Member International Network for Philosophy and Psychiatry (INPP) 14th International Conference Academic Advisory Committee
  • Member National Ethics Advisory Committee (NEAC)

Research

The philosophy of mental health considers fundamental questions about some of our most profound concerns and ideas. When the human being suffers either in the body or in the mind, how are we to understand what is going on? What are the limits of the scientific biologically based understanding offered by medicine? How are the foundational concepts of professional health carers—disease, illness, health—to be understood? Are they truly scientific concepts? Do they have essences, or can they be described in terms of neat definitive criteria?

There are lively and divisive debates about all these issues. To these debates I bring a focus on the extension of concepts of disease from the physical to the mental; and on the ideas about concepts which those engaged in such debates presume. In particular, I am interested in what resources Wittgenstein's philosophy might offer the debate. Is his notion of 'family resemblance' helpful?

Additional details

I offer supervision in health concepts (e.g. health, disease and illness), including reality and nature of mental illness, classical vs non-classical health concepts, evaluative vs non-evaluative health concepts.

Publications

Pickering, N., Newton-Howes, G., & Walker, S. (2024). Describing difficulties. Proceedings of the Australasian Association of Bioethics and Health Law (AABHL) Conference. Retrieved from https://aabhlconference.com Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Penfield Winters, J., Jaye, C., Pickering, N. J., & Walker, S. (2024). Providing medically assisted dying in Canada: A qualitative study of emotional and moral impact. Journal of Medical Ethics. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1136/jme-2024-110137 Journal - Research Article

McMillan, J., & Pickering, N. (2024). Appreciating your interests. American Journal of Bioethics, 24(8), 106-108. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2024.2361906 Journal - Research Other

Pickering, N., Walker, S., & Newton-Howes, G. (2023). Why we should be sceptical about internalism. Proceedings of the Australasian Association of Bioethics and Health Law (AABHL) Conference. Retrieved from https://aabhlconference.com/2023 Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Newton-Howes, G., Walker, S., & Pickering, N. J. (2023). Epistemic problems with mental health legislation in the doctor–patient relationship. Journal of Medical Ethics, 49, 727-732. doi: 10.1136/jme-2022-108610 Journal - Research Article

Back to top