Dualism and Its Discontents II: Philosophical Tinctures

Philosophical responses to Cartesian dualism, especially Maurice Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, offer valuable insights for medicine. Phenomenology's focus on lived experience and embodiment helps address dissociation and alienation felt by both clinicians and patients. The work of philosophers, clinicians, ethicists, and patients including Havi Carel, S. Kay Toombs, Richard Baron, Edmund Pellegrino, Richard Zaner, and Fredrik Svenaeus demonstrates phenomenology's influence in healthcare. Counter-examples show the complexity of philosophical inquiry. The chapter closes with David Ferry's poem "Soul" to approach the relationship between body, mind, and spirit. The authors argue that philosophical understanding, particularly combined with literature, provides insight into healthcare's challenges and possibilities.

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Abstract

Part II of II: This chapter explores philosophical responses to Cartesian dualism—notably Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s elaboration of phenomenology—and its relevance to medicine. With close reading of Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception, phenomenology’s attentiveness to lived experience and to embodiment is described. Next, discussion of the work of philosophers, clinicians, ethicists and patients—including Havi Carel, S. Kay Toombs, Richard Baron, Edmund Pellegrino, Richard Zaner, and Fredrik Svenaeus—demonstrates the influence of phenomenological perspectives in healthcare, addressing the dissociation and alienation often experienced by clinicians and patients alike. Counter-examples to the philosophical narrative presented here are then offered, demonstrating the rich complexity of philosophical enquiry. The chapter closes with a brief discussion of the poem “Soul” by David Ferry, which offers a means of approaching the age-old issue of the relationship between body, mind, and spirit. Thus the authors argue that philosophical understanding—particularly in combination with literature—offers particular insight into the challenges and possibilities of healthcare today.