CfP: special issue of Topoi on "Foundations of Clinical Reasoning"

Among the most discussed epistemological issues in clinical reasoning is the problem of the external validity. Once verified that the results of a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) are valid, we still have to explain how to apply these results to patients who did not take part in the experiment. How can we justify the belief that a certain treatment has the same effect when applied to a different setting? Without a reasonable answer to this latter question, RCTs would prove less helpful, as they would only show the results related to a particular situation, without any guarantee that the same results could apply to other contexts. The possible advantages of a Bayesian perspective on RCTs will be explored, as is the difference between types of uncertainty conveyed by diagnostic and prognostic judgements.

Contributions must be original and not submitted elsewhere. Papers must be in English and should not exceed 8,000 words (references and footnotes included). Each submission should also include a separate title page containing contact details, a brief abstract and a list of keywords for indexing purposes.