VITALISM
Vitalism :
A Controversial Force in Chiropractic
Dennis Richards | BSc , DC , PhD , Grad Cert Philosophical Studies , Adjunct Fellow , Faculty of Health , Southern Cross University
Abstract Although the origins of vitalism can be found in ancient times , this school of thought lives on in areas of Western culture . Similarly , vitalism in chiropractic originated in the earliest days of the profession and lives on in it today . This article provides an overview of the ancient Greek origins of vitalism and its opposing school of thought named atomism . Vitalism ’ s place in the foundations of chiropractic , its evolution in the profession , and the sharply opposed viewpoints about it today are explored . Recent research on the meaning and value of vitalism in chiropractic is discussed and the outcomes of that research are presented . Vitalism remains a controversial subject strongly supported in some sections of the chiropractic profession and equally strongly rejected in others .
What is vitalism ?
Vitalism is a controversial philosophical school of thought with ancient origins . ( 1 ) The essence of vitalism is a belief that living organisms and non-living things differ in fundamental ways .( 2 , 3 ) Specifically , living organisms are believed to possess a distinctive force , energy , or principle of life which is not present in non-living things ,( 2 ) and which cannot be identified , tested , or proven by the methods of positivist science . The epistemology of this dominant type of science ( 4 ) is based on the belief that only phenomena which can be perceived by the senses or by instruments which extend the senses are legitimate .( 5 ) Positivist science is therefore unable to address phenomena which cannot be perceived in these ways . Accordingly , most scientists who work in the positivist paradigm dismiss vitalism and its non-directly perceivable central principle of a life force as illegitimate .( 6 )
However , vitalism forms an important part of the philosophical foundations of many natural health professions , including chiropractic .( 1 , 7 ) While Daniel David Palmer ( 1845-1913 ), the founder of chiropractic , did not specifically use the word vitalism in his definitive 1910 explanation of chiropractic ,( 8 ) his frequent use of vitalistic terms such as ‘ vital energy ’ and ‘ intelligent life-force ’ ( 8 p32,35 ) established a lasting stream of vitalistic thinking in his work and in the profession . Palmer stated that the founding principles of chiropractic were not new , but were from ancient Greek philosophy .( 8 ) The roots of vitalism and the controversy surrounding it today can also be traced back to those same ancient Greek sources .
The origins of vitalism
The fundamentals of Western culture and its ways of thinking stem from ancient Greek philosophy .( 9 , 10 )
194 | vol27 | no4 | JATMS