Antecedents to Chiropractic Philosophy

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Antecedents to Chiropractic Philosophy

• Biological Constructs

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Biology

• The study of life

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• TIME, 11/29/04

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Biocosm Theory

• An attempt to explain why the universe, against
  all odds, is so remarkably hospital to life
• Most of the fundamental characteristics of our
  cosmos- gravitational constant, electromagnetism,
  etc(6-10 numbers) are so finely tuned that if
  just one of them were slightly different, life as
  we know it couldnt exist

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Anthropic Principle

• The proposition that the cosmos is perfectly
  tuned for life

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• QCTimes.com 11/21/02

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• Q-C Times, 8/20/07

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Biological Constructs

• To describe the essential nature of life/living
  things i.e. what is life?
• Derived from more basic metaphysical
  beliefs/doctrines (materialism, idealism,
  dualism)
• The Cartesian split of mind and body led to the
  two major views regarding the understanding of
  life (biology)

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Biological Constructs

• Two fundamental doctrines
• 1. Mechanism/atomism
• 2. Vitalism

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Mechanism/atomism(re What is life?)

• Life can be completely explained by actions of
  physical, chemical, and electrical forces
• Derived from materialism and/or scientific
  exclusionism
• A reaction to antiscientific theological doctrines

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Mechanism/atomism(re What is life?)

• The central dogma of biology Life is complex
  carbon-based chemistry DNA ultimately codes for
  life processes
• There is no immaterial component only matter,
  never mind
• A living thing is exhaustively composed of
  inanimate parts the whole is equal to the sum
  of its parts

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Good Website article

• brucelipton.com
• brucelipton.com/chiro1.php
• Ive got a link to his site, and an article by
  him, The Science of Innate Intelligence, on my
  webpage (w3.palmer.edu/strang)

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Mechanism/atomism(re What is life?)

• In its extreme form, could be considered as an
  extension of the metaphysical doctrine of
  materialism (only matter, never mind)

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Vitalism(re What is life?)

• Life and its functions depend on a vital
  influence which is non-physical in nature
• Derives from dualism
• Not necessarily a theological doctrine
• life chemistry animated by spirit/force, etc..
• Is an inclusive doctrine matter/chemistry the
  additional influence of a separate, non-physical
  entity or field

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Vitalismhas two versions, or interpretations

• Extreme vitalism (aka naïve vitalism)
• Moderate vitalism (aka critical vitalism)

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Extreme (naïve) Vitalism

• The presence in living systems of a substantial
  entity that imparts to the system powers
  possessed by no inanimate body (i.e..an extension
  of substance dualism)
• Matter evolves, then spirit animates it- ghost
  in the machine
• Lends itself to theological interpretation

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Extreme (naïve) Vitalism

• Is popular doctrine, reinforced by common
  sense, everyday language, etc
• a lifeless corpse
• he lost his life
• a cats nine lives
• life in a test tube
• Frankensteins monster

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Extreme (naïve) Vitalism

• Is least popular theory with biologists today

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Moderate Vitalism (also termed critical
vitalism)

• The immaterial expression (mind) co-evolves with
  the physical structure essentially an extension
  of property dualism
• Vital forces always a part of, never apart from,
  the process of living thing (life in matter
  inseparably- V.V. Strang) i.e.. Dualistic
  interactionism

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Moderate Vitalism (also termed critical
vitalism)

• Hans Driesch life is an autonomous, mind-like,
  non-spatial entity that exercises control over
  organic processes
• Paralleled in chiropractic philosophy major
  premise and triune of life
• Universal and Innate intelligence are
  chiropractics untestable metaphors for this
  concept

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Is there a moderate mechanism? (property
dualism applied to the life question)

• Possibly equated with contemporary organismic
  biology
• Suggests that pure or extreme mechanism is
  outmoded
• organicism, like vitalism, opposes the reduction
  of biology to physics and chemistry
• The whole is more than the sum of its parts (the
  Szent-Gyorgi experience), but not due to the
  addition of a separate, non-physical entity

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Moderate mechanism, or organicism might be
expressed as

• the presence in living systems of emergent
  properties, contingent upon the organization of
  inanimate parts, but not reducible to them
• Life is epiphenomenal, or an emergent property of
  the matter
• the additional ingredient is an understanding
  of the organizing relationships of the living
  system

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• No separate, non-physical entity is required
  life is self-organizing and self-maintaining
  (autopoietic structurally antientropic)
• Neither purely mechanistic nor purely vitalistic

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Good article

• Senzon, Simon
• What is Life?
• JVSR, June 13, 2003

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Good book
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The currently emerging theory of living systems
has finally overcome the debate between mechanism
and Teleology. (purposeful nature )it views
living nature as mindful and intelligent without
the need to assume any overall design or
purpose. Fritjof Capra, The Web of Life, p.107
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The life process consists of all activities
involved in the continued embodiment of the
systems (autopoietic) pattern of organization in
a physical (dissipative) structure. Capra, The
Web of Life, p. 267
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The pattern of life is a network pattern capable
of self-organization. Capra, The Web of Life,
p. 83
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Self organization is the spontaneous emergence
of new structures and forms of behavior in open
systems far from equilibrium, characterized by
internal feedback loops and described
mathematically by non-linear equations. Capra,
The Web of Life, p. 85
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With respect to invulnerability to criticism,
vitalism and its most plausible alternatives
i.e., mechanism are in exactly the same
position. Morton Beckner
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In review

• How do we answer the question What is life?
• Two major doctrines
• 1) mechanism
• extreme and moderate
• 2) vitalism
• extreme (naïve) and moderate
  (critical)
• The moderate versions of each are not very
  different from each other

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How does chiropractic philosophy relate?

• Living human beings are
• -self-forming (autopoietic)
• -self-organizing (structurally antientropic)
• -self-regulating (homeostatic)
• -self-repairing (self-healing)

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• entropy a thermodynamic term referring to
  energy equilibrium
• structural entropy ever-growing disorder in
  the universe over time proceeding toward
  disorder/randomness
• structural antientropy ( in thermodynamics-
  enthalpy)- development of increased order or
  organization sometimes termed syntropy

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D.D. Palmer

• Life is the result of the combination of
  intellectual spirit and unintelligible matter.

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V.V. Strang

• Human beings are life in matter inseparably.

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Therefore

• Chiropractic is essentially a vitalistic
  paradigm, though not a naïve or extreme one
• life is not itself an entity apart from the
  organism

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R.W. Stephenson, D.C.

• Principle 1. The Major Premise.
• A Universal Intelligence is in all matter and
  continually gives to it all its properties and
  actions, thus maintaining it in existence.
• (a metaphysical concept)

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R.W. Stephenson, D.C.

• Principle 2. The Chiropractic Meaning of Life.
• The expression of this intelligence through
  matter is the chiropractic meaning of life.
• (deductive logic supporting a vitalistic
  biology)

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Palmer Tenet 1

• The Palmer College of Chiropractic embraces the
  philosophy that life is intelligent the human
  body possesses the inherent potential to maintain
  itself in a natural state of homeostasis through
  its innate/inborn intelligence.
• (This statement doesnt insist on an overall
  plan or purpose to existence- that would enter
  the arena of belief or faith.)

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Intelligence Organization
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What does this mean to us?

• Universal and innate intelligence are metaphors
  for the self-forming (autopoietic),
  self-organizing (structurally antientropic), and
  self-regulating (homeostatic) properties of
  living things consistent with the present-day
  tenets of organismic biology- essentially an
  extension of critical vitalism
• Extreme mechanism- (the concept that life is
  reducible to complex carbon-based chemistry) is
  as dogmatic and unproven as the animating
  life-force view of naïve vitalism

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With respect to invulnerability to criticism,
vitalism and its most plausible alternatives
i.e., mechanism are in exactly the same
position. Morton Beckner
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Very Important!

• A vitalistic approach does not necessarily
  require the assumption of beliefs consistent with
  a theistic teleology (it is not religion!)
• however, it does accommodate such beliefs

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A little philosophy makes a man an atheist a
great deal turns him to religion. Bacon