Natural Kinds, Similarity, and Individual Cases: Ontological Presuppositions and Ethical Implications

The ethical implications of medical research and clinical practice are addressed by (a) questioning the ontological presuppositions of such notions as kinds and similarity, both object-to-object and object-to-category; (b) applying this strategy to the particular case of medicine and biomedical science, with a focus on the notion of kinds of patients; and (c) suggesting a way for researchers and clinicians to take advantage of the ontological perspective, connecting creative approaches to responsible, ethical choices.