While the specific term "placebo" didn't enter the medical lexicon until the late 18th century, ancient physicians were intimately aware of the effect. The ancient Greek, Indian, and Chinese traditions all leveraged the capacity of belief, trust, and suggestion to facilitate healing. However, with medicine’s scientific turn, the placebo has garnered a negative connotation of… Continue reading The Set and the Setting
Tag: Empathy
The Suitcase of Empathy
Marvin Minsky called words that carry a variety of meanings "suitcase words." Empathy is such a word. Over the last ten years, research into empathy has exploded. The number of research papers in psychological journals, on the topic, has increased dramatically and popular interest in the concept matches what is found in these journals. A… Continue reading The Suitcase of Empathy
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