Vitalism
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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
