Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The dehumanising of human beings which often underpins western medicine lead to this study. Moreover a predominant mechanistic and reductionist view of a human being necessitated a philosophical investigation to revisit the stance. It is argued that western medicine is based upon uncritical assumptions about humans as a result of the dualism and mechanistic views of Descartes. The philosophy of Merleau-Ponty transcended dualism by his emphasis on the bodylines of a human being situated in his life world. Complexity thinking concurs with the above-mentioned view, however, takes the argument further by focusing on the importance of continuous interactions and relations between the whole and the parts. Interdependent aspects of our being in the world constitute our humanness, such as our human relations between family members, friends, that which we experience, ponder, feel, and believe. Our unique experience of disease often goes hand in hand with a deep-seated sub-conscious longing for meaning. According to complexity theory being ill is not a static condition, but rather an imbalance as a result of various dynamic interactions between many spheres of human life. Multiple causality due to various dynamic interactions and self-organisation should replace simplistic views of mechanical cause and effect in this regard. Medical training models should not employ reductionism as if humans are machines comprising of separate body parts. An organic view of the uniqueness of each evolving human being should replace obsolete reductionist and mechanistic views of healing.The essence of being human is embedded in a tapestry of dynamic relations. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die dehumanisering van die mens in hedendaagse westerse geneeskunde het aanleiding gegee tot hierdie studie. Verder het die meganistiese, reduksionistiese mensbeeld ‘n filosofiese herbesinning genoodsaak. Daar word geargumenteer dat westerse geneeskunde gebaseer is op onkritiese aannames afkomstig van onder andere Descartes se dualistiese antropologie en die meganistiese siening van die mens. Merleau-Ponty se wysgerige antropologie het die dualisme getransendeer deur sy filosofie van die mens as liggaamlikheid gesitueerd in sy leefwêreld. Kompleksiteitsdenke stem hiermee ooreen, maar voer die argument verder in die opsig dat dit die belangrikheid van relasies en voortdurende wisselwerking tussen die geheel en dele beklemtoon. Interafhanklike aspekte van dit wat ons mens maak, ontstaan as gevolg van relasies tussen ons leefwêreld, ons familie, vriende, tussen dit waaraan ons dink, wat ons voel, ervaar en glo. Ons siekte ervaring gaan meestal gepaard met ‘n diepgewortelde voorbewustelike soeke na sin en betekenis. Die kompleksiteitsperspektief beskou siekwees nie as ‘n statiese toestand wat teenoor gesondwees staan nie, maar eerder ‘n wanbalans in dinamiese interaksies van verskeie sfere van menswees. Enkelvoudige kousaal-meganiese oorsaak en gevolg moet plek maak vir veelvuldige kousaliteit wat geleë is in talle dinamiese interaksies en selforganisering. Mediese opleidingsmodelle behoort die mens nie te objektiveer tot aparte organe, soos die van ‘n masjien nie. Die verontmensliking van die masjien gedrewe model van genesing behoort plek te maak vir ‘n meer organiese siening van die mens wat rekening hou met die unieke menslikheid van die mens. Menslikheid impliseer ‘n tapisserie van relasies.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/86505 |
| Date | 04 1900 |
| Creators | Van Niekerk, Marilu |
| Contributors | Van Niekerk, A. A., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Philosophy. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | af_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | x, 131 p. : ill. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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