Dr. Awais Aftab is a clinical assistant professor of Psychiatry at Case Western School of Medicine. He writes a Substack where he regularly interacts with ideas at the intersection of philosophy and psychiatry. In today’s conversation we discuss his journey into psychiatry, the recent conceptual developments in psychiatry, and where philosophy can have the highest impact on psychiatric development.
SHOW NOTES:
[0:15] How did Dr. Aftab first get interested in philosophy
[3:45] Balancing philosophical interests and medical interests during his training
[9:20] Dealing with immigrant family pressures to avoid fields like philosophy and psychiatry
[15:15] Why you need to ask the question, “What does professional success mean to me?”
[17:35] The process of self-reflection in career decision-making
[19:45] How do you sell the utility of philosophy to medical practitioners?
[27:25] How does the interaction between philosophy and psychiatry differ from philosophy and the broader medical sciences?
[34:15] The issues of drawing 1 to 1 relationships between neurobiology and psychological states
[37:55] Misconceptions people have about psychiatric diagnoses
[47:00] How Dr. Aftab shares his interest and work
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