Vitalism
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| + | [[Image:Hands of God and Adam.jpg|thumb|200px|''[[Hands of God and Adam]]'' ([[1500s]]) is a detail of the [[Sistine Chapel ceiling ]] by [[Michelangelo]]. It is a detail from [[Adam and Eve on the Sistine Chapel ceiling|Adam and Eve cycle]]]] | ||
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| + | '''Vitalism''', as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is | ||
| - | # the [[doctrine]] that [[life]] involves some [[immaterial]] "vital force", and cannot be explained [[scientifically]] | + | #a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from biochemical reactions |
| + | #a doctrine that the processes of life are not explicable by the laws of physics and chemistry alone and that life is in some part [[Self-determination|self-determining]]'' | ||
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| + | Where vitalism explicitly invokes a vital principle, that element is often referred to as the "vital spark," "energy" or "[[élan vital]]", which some equate with the "[[Soul (spirit)|soul]]". | ||
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| + | Vitalism has a long history in [[medical]] philosophies: most [[traditional medicine|traditional healing]] practices posited that disease results from some imbalance in the vital energies that distinguish living from non-living matter. In the Western tradition founded by [[Hippocrates]], these vital forces were associated with the [[four temperaments]] and [[The four humours|humour]]s; Eastern traditions posited similar forces such as [[qi]] and [[prana]]. It is often contrasted to [[reductionism]], the more mechanistic approach. | ||
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
Revision as of 21:25, 24 February 2013
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Vitalism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is
- a doctrine that the functions of a living organism are due to a vital principle distinct from biochemical reactions
- a doctrine that the processes of life are not explicable by the laws of physics and chemistry alone and that life is in some part self-determining
Where vitalism explicitly invokes a vital principle, that element is often referred to as the "vital spark," "energy" or "élan vital", which some equate with the "soul".
Vitalism has a long history in medical philosophies: most traditional healing practices posited that disease results from some imbalance in the vital energies that distinguish living from non-living matter. In the Western tradition founded by Hippocrates, these vital forces were associated with the four temperaments and humours; Eastern traditions posited similar forces such as qi and prana. It is often contrasted to reductionism, the more mechanistic approach.
See also
- Dualism
- Energy (spirituality)
- Esoteric healing
- Etheric body
- Hans Adolf Eduard Driesch
- Henri Bergson
- Holism in science
- Homeopathy
- Irreducible complexity
- Odic force
- Philosophy of biology
- Prana
- Qi
- Rupert Sheldrake
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