12. Standpoints

If we take the normativity of concepts such as pathology seriously, this means that both in the encounter between an individual patient and their caregiver, as in evaluating the impact of systemic decisions, we should pay attention to experiences and situated knowledge. In this chapter I discuss standpoint epistemology. I argue that ensuring an ethical scientific and clinical practice entails including the viewpoints and explicitly paying attention to those who have held marginalized positions in healthcare. If we want to understand what health and pathology mean for different people, this means engaging honestly with those people that have been ignored.