1. The medical practice currently places a stronger emphasis on the biological aspects of illness and overlooks many ethical and personal aspects that should also be accounted for. This naturalistic approach generalizes illness based on “natural or physical facts that are sufficient to explain the human world.” (Carel, 9) Although biology plays a very important role in the understanding of illness, the most ethical and important role should be the patient’s perspective of their own illness and experience. The study of phenomenology, founded by French philosopher Merleau-Ponty, recognizes the first person experience and the structure of that experience. By validating an ill person’s experience instead of comparing it to a textbook example of
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The isolation illness creates can make ill people feel lonely and sometimes depressed, in addition to the loneliness and depression they already feel due to the condition itself. An ill person’s appearance is also strongly affected by their condition, possibly in both the physical and psychological aspects. Merleau-Ponty introduces the ambiguity between the lived and biological body, which confronts the tension an ill person feels. Prior to their illness, they lived with freedom and transparency and after falling ill, their lives now revolve around their illness and its effects. A person’s biological body is “the physical or material body” and their lived body is “the first-person experience of the biological body.” (Carel, 31) This distinction emphasizes how the change illness creates begins to separate a person’s lived body from their biological body. An ill person may now be obligated to carry oxygen everywhere they go, like Havi Carel, or eat soft food, use a cane or sleep in a hospital bed. Bodily function is also a strongly affected aspect, which often carries a shameful connotation. Those who do not suffer from illness have the privilege of not worrying about making it to the bathroom on time, walking home from the grocery store, possibly even getting themselves out of bed, or feeding themselves. Some of these functions may even be affected by memory, which may be altered or reduced with …show more content…
Humans are time based individuals, whose psychological and physical health revolves around the ability to live futurally. German philosopher Heidegger defined this fascinating mindset as projection, which means to place emphasis on the future with the assumption that our current actions have significance because they work toward future goals. This optimistic mindset is always under the assumption that there is a tomorrow, and that we always have the ability to correct mistakes and set new goals before our end. With this in mind, Heidegger also stated that humans are prereflectively toward death, which means human finitude shapes our lives and choices. However, some do not respect the genuine finitude of life, and choose to live boldly with unrealistic, dangerous activities and have poor health by for example, procrastinating life goals, jumping off a bridge or using illegal drugs. Heidegger would consider these lifestyles as inauthentic approaches to death, because they do not acknowledge the striking reality that all humans die, be it from illness, old age or from poor choices. He did not always indicate a negative connotation with this perspective, in fact, most people in the world currently have an inauthentic approach toward death. Although there are some people whom Heidegger would consider living authentically toward death, who actively think about and plan their deaths decades before they expect to die, it’s not normal, nor would an authentic approach be entirely
The isolation illness creates can make ill people feel lonely and sometimes depressed, in addition to the loneliness and depression they already feel due to the condition itself. An ill person’s appearance is also strongly affected by their condition, possibly in both the physical and psychological aspects. Merleau-Ponty introduces the ambiguity between the lived and biological body, which confronts the tension an ill person feels. Prior to their illness, they lived with freedom and transparency and after falling ill, their lives now revolve around their illness and its effects. A person’s biological body is “the physical or material body” and their lived body is “the first-person experience of the biological body.” (Carel, 31) This distinction emphasizes how the change illness creates begins to separate a person’s lived body from their biological body. An ill person may now be obligated to carry oxygen everywhere they go, like Havi Carel, or eat soft food, use a cane or sleep in a hospital bed. Bodily function is also a strongly affected aspect, which often carries a shameful connotation. Those who do not suffer from illness have the privilege of not worrying about making it to the bathroom on time, walking home from the grocery store, possibly even getting themselves out of bed, or feeding themselves. Some of these functions may even be affected by memory, which may be altered or reduced with …show more content…
Humans are time based individuals, whose psychological and physical health revolves around the ability to live futurally. German philosopher Heidegger defined this fascinating mindset as projection, which means to place emphasis on the future with the assumption that our current actions have significance because they work toward future goals. This optimistic mindset is always under the assumption that there is a tomorrow, and that we always have the ability to correct mistakes and set new goals before our end. With this in mind, Heidegger also stated that humans are prereflectively toward death, which means human finitude shapes our lives and choices. However, some do not respect the genuine finitude of life, and choose to live boldly with unrealistic, dangerous activities and have poor health by for example, procrastinating life goals, jumping off a bridge or using illegal drugs. Heidegger would consider these lifestyles as inauthentic approaches to death, because they do not acknowledge the striking reality that all humans die, be it from illness, old age or from poor choices. He did not always indicate a negative connotation with this perspective, in fact, most people in the world currently have an inauthentic approach toward death. Although there are some people whom Heidegger would consider living authentically toward death, who actively think about and plan their deaths decades before they expect to die, it’s not normal, nor would an authentic approach be entirely