title: The extinction of life
title: an inquiry into the metaphysics of disease
titleType: Subtitle
Creators: name: Pellet, François
Publisher: name: University of Muenster, Institutional Repository MIAMI
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: 100 Philosophy, parapsychology and occultism, psychology

description: Diese Dissertation verteidigt eine originelle und allgemeine Krankheitstheorie, "Essentialismus über die Krankheitsart": eine Krankheit ist eine zerstörische Process der Essenz eines prozessualen Teils eines Lebewesens. In Teil I beginnen wir mit der Methode: eine Spezies bzw. Art ein durch seine Teile d. h. genus proximum und differentia specifica definiertes Ganzes ist. Nachdem wir, in Teil II, zwischen dem Krankheitsbegriff und anderen Begriffen wie SYMPTOM und ÄTIOPATHOLOGIE unterschieden haben, bieten wir, in Teil III, einen neutralen Rahmen fur die Krankheitsdebatte; es gibt drei Gruppen von Krankheitstheorien: Axiologismus über die Krankheitsart, nach dem eine Krankheit ist ein negativer Wert; Dysfunktionalismus über die Krankheitsart, nach dem eine Krankheit eine biologische Dysfunktion ist; Hybridismus über die Krankheitsart, nach dem eine Krankheit sowohl ein negativer Wert als auch eine biologische Dysfunktion ist. Als eine hybridische Krankheitstheorie wird Essentialismus über die Krankheitsart, in Teil IV, erklärt.
description: Short Abstract i
Extended Abstract ii
Acknowledgments v
List of Boxes xiii
List of Excursuses xv
List of Figures xvii
List of Abbreviations and Formulas xviii
1 Introduction 1
I The (Meta)Philosophy of Disease 10
2 A Definition of a Definition of Disease 11
2.1 What it is to Define Disease: The Relationship 12
2.1.1 First Attempt: A Modal Account 12
2.1.2 Second Attempt: A Mereological Account 15
2.1.3 Third Attempt: A Constitutive and Intransitive Account 28
2.2 What it is to Define Disease: The Relata 34
2.2.1 “Disease”, DISEASE, disease 34
2.2.2 Disease, a Disease, Diseases 38
3 Disease vs. Disease Kinds 48
3.1 Disease and its Kinds 49
3.1.1 Disease Kinds: A Primer 50
3.1.2 How not to Define Disease (Super/Sub…)
Super/Subkinds 58
3.2 A Species as a Genus and a Differentia: Objections and Replies 65
3.2.1 Objection (i): A Genus as a Conjunction of Species
(with Differentia) 66
3.2.2 Objection (ii): A Genus as an Exclusive Disjunction of Species
(with Differentia) 69
3.2.3 Objection (iii): The GenusSpecies
Relationship as a DeterminableDeterminate
Relationship 70
3.2.4 Objection (iv): A Species as (Reduced to) an Epistemic Entity 78
3.2.5 Objection (v): A Species as a Cluster Kind 82
3.2.6 Objection (vi): A Species as an Evolving Kind 86
3.2.7 Objection (vii): The GenusSpecies
Hierarchy as a Linnaean
Hierarchy 109
3.3 On Genus and Differentia 111
3.3.1 A Genus as a Constitutive Part of a Species 111
3.3.2 A Reductive Account of a Differentia 120
II Concepts Related to DISEASE 123
4 Nosology 124
4.1 A Definition of Disease Kinds 125
4.1.1 Defining Disease Kinds vs. Defining Disease 125
4.1.2 Negative Effects and Causes as the Differentia between
Disease Kinds and Disease 127
4.1.3 Disease Kinds as Syndromes? 131
4.2 Disease Kinds as Disease with Causes and Effects: Objections and Replies 132
4.2.1 Objection (i): Effects or Causes as Unnecessary 133
4.2.2 Objection (ii): Disease Kinds as Diseases/Positive Biological
Processes plus Positive/Negative CausesEffects
136
4.2.3 Objection (iii): Asymptomatic and Idiopathic Disease Kinds 142
4.2.4 Objection (iv): Disease Kinds as Diseases plus Simultaneous
Processes 143
4.2.5 Objection (v): Disease Kinds as Kinds (with a Differentia) 144
4.2.6 Objection (vi): A Disease Kind as an Internal Relationship
between Disease with CausesEffects
and Disease 147
4.2.7 Objection (vii): Disease as Negative Effects and Causes 149
4.2.8 Objection (viii): The Disease Host as a Differentia
for Disease Kinds 155
4.2.9 Objection (ix): A Process as the Differentia for Disease Kinds 158
4.2.10 Objection (x): Against the Independency of the Definition of
the Differentia 158
4.2.11 Objection (xi): A Specific Causal Relationship as the Differentia
for Disease Kinds 160
5 Symptoms 163
5.1 A Prima Facie Definition of a Symptom 164
5.1.1 A Symptom as a Negative Sign of a Disease 164
5.1.2 Felt and Unfelt Symptoms as Specific Symptoms 168
5.2 A Definition of a Symptom 173
5.3 Objections against the Definition of a Symptom (with Replies) 175
5.3.1 Objection (i): Symptoms as Meanings of “Disease” 176
5.3.2 Objection (ii): “Symptoms” as Absolute Realizers of “Disease” 177
5.3.3 Objection (iii): Symptoms as Manifestations of Disease 178
5.3.4 Objection (iv): Symptoms as Negative Signs of Clinical Conditions 179
5.3.5 Objection (v): Symptoms as Constituents of Disease 181
5.3.6 Objection (vi): Symptoms as Negative Kinds of Sign 182
5.3.7 Objection (vii): Symptoms as Negative Unfelt Signs of Disease 183
5.3.8 Objection (viii): Symptoms as Negative Felt Signs of Disease 184
5.3.9 Objection (ix): Symptoms as Negative either Felt or Unfelt Signs
of Disease 185
5.3.10 Objection (x): Symptoms as Possibly Felt Signs of Disease 187
5.3.11 Objection (xi): Symptoms as Negative Potential Signs of Disease 190
6 Etiopathology 192
6.1 A Prima Facie Definition of Etiopathology 193
6.2 A Definition of Etiopathology 195
6.2.1 Etiopathology as a Disease with a Temporally Preceding Entity 195
6.2.2 Towards a Mechanistic Account of Etiopathology 197
6.3 Complex Etiopathologies 199
6.3.1 Multiple Etiopathologies 199
6.3.2 Indirect Etiopathologies 201
7 Illness, Sickness, Disability, Harm, Disorder, Etc. 203
7.1 A Prima Facie Definition of Illness 204
7.1.1 Illness as a Specific Disease 204
7.1.2 Illness as the Feeling of a Disease 208
7.1.3 Illness as a Certain Attention Mechanism 213
7.2 Other Cognates of “Disease” 214
7.2.1 A Prima Facie Definition of Sickness 214
7.2.2 A Prima Facie Definition of Disability 216
7.2.3 A Prima Facie Definition of Harm 220
7.3 Why not “Disorder”, “Ailment”, “Pathology”, etc.? 222
7.3.1 Almost but not Synonyms of “Disease” 222
7.3.2 Synonyms of “Disease” 225
7.3.3 Why “Disease”? 226
III The Concept of Disease 228
8 The Philosophical Debate Around Disease 229
8.1 Two Intuitions about Disease 230
8.1.1 Disease as a Specific Lethal Value 231
8.1.2 Disease as a Specific Biological Malfunctions 232
8.2 Groups of Theories of Disease: A Framework 232
8.2.1 Axiologism about Disease: Nordenfelt's Subjectivist Theory 234
8.2.2 Malfunctionalism about Disease: Boorse's BioStatistical
Theory
(BST) 236
8.2.3 Hybridism about Disease: Wakefield's HarmMalfunction
Theory 237
9 A Definition of Disease 239
9.1 A Prima Facie Hybrid Definition of Disease 240
9.1.1 Two Examples: Phenylketonuria (PKU) and (Lung) Cancer 240
9.1.2 A Prima Facie Definition of Disease 244
9.1.3 Disease as a Specific Lethal Value and Biological Malfunction 245
9.2 A Correct Hybrid Definition of Disease 246
9.2.1 Disease as a Process 247
9.2.2 Essentialism about Disease 251
9.3 The Disease Host 253
9.3.1 Disease as a Negative Entity 254
9.3.2 The Disease Host as a Part of a Living Being 258
9.3.3 A Prima Facie Definition of Health 260
9.3.4 A Prima Facie Definition of a Lethal Value 263
9.4 Disease as Essence Destruction 264
9.4.1 A Prima Facie Definition of a Biological Malfunction 264
9.4.2 Hypo/Hyperfunctions,
or How to Destroy an Essence 271
9.4.3 Disease Degrees and Comparisons 274
10 Controversial Diseases and Other Difficulties 279
10.1 Difficult Cases of Disease 280
10.1.1 Genetic Diseases 281
10.1.2 Inherited vs. Acquired Diseases, and Congenital vs.
NonCongenital
Diseases 283
10.1.3 Birth Diseases 285
10.1.4 Cultural Diseases 286
10.1.5 Latent Diseases 287
10.1.6 Chronic vs. Recurrent vs. Common Diseases 288
10.1.7 ImaginationRelated
Diseases 289
10.1.8 Deformities 290
10.1.9 Artefactual Diseases 291
10.2 Controversial Diseases as Genuine Diseases 292
10.2.1 Vices 292
10.2.2 Bad Personality/Character Traits or Temperaments 295
10.3 Controversial Diseases as NonDiseases
296
10.3.1 Incurable Diseases 297
10.3.2 Aging 298
11 Conclusion 300
References 312