title: So what exactly is nursing knowledge?
abstract: This paper aims to present a discussion about intrinsic nursing knowledge. The paper stems from the author's study of knowledge claims enshrined in nursing journal articles, books and conference speeches. It is argued that claims by academic nurses have largely depended on principles drawn from continental and not Analytic (British-American) philosophy. Thus, claims are credible only insofar as they defer propositional logic. This is problematic inasmuch as nursing is a practice-based activity usually carried out in medical settings. Transpersonal nursing models are particularly criticizable in respect of their unworldly character as are also concepts based on shallow usages of physics or mathematics. I argue that sensible measurements of the 'real world' are possible--without endorsing positivism--and that nursing requires little recourse to logically unsustainable claims. The paper concludes with an analysis of a recent review of nursing knowledge, which analysis indicates the circularity that attends many discussions on the topic.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Brighton, Eastbourne, UK. w.f.clarke@bton.ac.uk
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Clarke
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005181:Faculty, Nursing; D006801:Humans; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015399:Nursing Research; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing / Q000193:education*; D011643:Publishing; D013041:Specialties, Nursing; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D006113:United Kingdom