Reductionism and Nursing Clinical Reality
Journal Title: Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research (BJSTR) - Year 2017, Vol 1, Issue 3
Abstract
Biomedicine has been a significant force in medical and nursing research and understanding, and described by some as the cornerstone of laboratory-based diagnosis and care within modern health [1]. Biomedicine’s in-vitro research has significantly advanced diagnosis and treatment, evident particularly in the area of carcinogenesis [2]. Historically, from a perspective of vitalism (the idea of life forces engaging and animating the universe and living things), Western science moved progressively towards a position of positivism, reflecting similarity of elements, and subject to the same laws and dynamic principles [3]. This could be examined and understood substantially through a biological, chemical and physiological lens [4]. Until quite recently (and in the view of many still) the biomedical sciences and research focus had been characterized by reductionism [3]. Reductionism has perhaps a range of definitions, but could be properly defined as describing and interpreting systems at the lower level (reduced), thereby enabling the properties of an element or substance or living entity to be understood and interpreted through studying their constituent elements and interaction [5], in a sense living entities understood as the sum of their parts. In addition, transference enables understanding gained from one area of biomedical sciences to be transferred to understanding in another area of biomedical science [5]. Some cases combining an understanding of parts of the system can be arguably translated to a more complete understanding of the whole phenomena. The system can therefore be treated as closed or semi closed and somewhat shielded from the impacts of environment [5]. Reductionist methods are sometimes referred to as decomposition, with a significant focus on in vitro isolation and factors internal to the organism or system [4,5]. Significant questions then started to emerge as to whether there were other dynamic forces engaging, animating and vitalizing living organisms, factors or elements that a reductionist model didn’t incorporate. For example was the human mind, merely a function of the organ of the human brain, or something more; where does consciousness and free will arise [3,4].
Authors and Affiliations
John J Power
Keywords
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- EP ID EP571692
- DOI 10.26717/BJSTR.2017.01.000285
- Views 173
- Downloads 0
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