The Asklepion Project – Practical Wisdom and the Holism of Healthcare

A potential route to flourishing has been hiding in plain sight. The rod of Asclepius with a coiled snake is a powerful symbol that pervades medical branding. What does it symbolise and what are the values behind it?

The word Asklepion is derived from the name of the Greek God of Healing – Asclepius. The Asklepion Project is seeks to explore the Ancient Greek concept of the Asklepion (Healing centre) as a nexus of ideals to explore the heart, mind and spirit of healthcare. It will look specifically at enacted and embodied phronesis in healthcare professionals and the environments in which they work, contemplating what a practically wise organisation would look like.

Aristotle suggested that Phronesis (Practical Wisdom) is the route to Eudaimonia (flourishing). Initial work has been done hypothesising a connection between wisdom, meaning, purpose, goals of medicine and flourishing. This seminar seeks to promote dialogue and debate about how to perform further practical research and operationalise some of these ideas in real healthcare settings.

It is hoped that it will also inspire others interested in flourishing and professional values and virtues in medicine to expand on this work.