Philosophy vs. Ideology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy vs. Ideology - Essay Example While these modes of thinking share similar aspects, upon deeper inspection it’s clear that they differ on meaningful and profound levels. With reference to specific examples, this essay examines the difference between philosophy and ideology.   In further articulating this distinction it’s been noted that â€Å"Ideology refers to a set of beliefs, doctrines that back a certain social institution or a particular organization. Philosophy refers to looking at life in a pragmatic manner and attempting to understand why life is as it is and the principles governing behind it† (â€Å"Difference Between†). This distinction indicates that at the fundamental levels, ideology is concerned with advancing a notion of understanding that is linked to a social institution, while philosophy concerns the deep underlining aspects of existence. One example of this distinction can be witnessed in American notions of democracy. In the above context democracy would be unders tood as a Western ideology; conversely, the principle that democracy is an intrinsic value right of human existence would be a philosophical assumption.   While there is the above broad ranging distinction between philosophy and ideology, there is also an understanding that ideology oftentimes carries a sinister element, while philosophy is virtuous. In these regards, it’s noted that â€Å"At issue is an understanding of ideology as a source of manipulation† (â€Å"Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy†).

Economic evaluation as a perspective in evaluating health program Term Paper

Economic evaluation as a perspective in evaluating health program - Term Paper Example In addition, the cost of health care is assuming a larger role in clinical policymaking. Even wealthy nations, squeezed between the Scylla of exponential technology growth and the Charybdis of shrinking health care resources must make hard choices about which technologies they can afford (Gold et al, 2007). Economic evaluation is a methodology that is being used increasingly to help clinicians and policymakers think about these hard choices. Economic evaluation is the â€Å"comparative analysis of alternative courses of action in terms of both their costs and consequences† (Drummond et al, 2005). When measuring the effects of health programs on both resource consumption and health, economic evaluation allows us to see how much health care â€Å"bang† we are getting for our â€Å"buck.† Over the last 20 years the number of published CEAs has grown exponentially, particularly in clinical journals. Insurers, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and regional and national governments are showing an increasing interest in the results of CEAs, particularly in the area of pharmaceuticals. Economic evaluation has matured as a scientific discipline. In this brief review we discuss some of the characteristics and uses of economic evaluation and provide direction for those who wish to learn more. Full economic evaluations are always comparative. No treatment is ever â€Å"cost-effective† in isolation. It is always more or less so in relation to some other treatment, even if the alternate treatment is to â€Å"do nothing.† Even doing nothing has health and cost consequences that must be considered (Ketley, 2009). What programs should be compared? In their work on the subject, Zweifel and his colleagues (2009) states that economic evaluation ideally includes all potential and mutually exclusive programs for a defined population. Thus an ideal economic evaluation of colorectal cancer