ABSTRACT

This chapter addresses the theme of the conference from a particular angle, rendered by the title The Social Pathologies of Contemporary Civilization. It explains historical and conceptual clarification related to health, pathology and illness. It investigates the question of the extent to which the pathological character of contemporary civilization is related to the way these concerns are approached in our times. Being concerned with the problem of a pathological civilization was not merely an intellectual endeavour, but part of daily existence. Concerning health, an idea that seems difficult enough, the linguistic results will be simple, almost trivial, while concerning pathology, which on a first instance looks a quite straightforward technical word. For Canguilhem pathology, health is a function of the whole organism, and it cannot be broken down into pieces. Human beings can only be healthy in healthy societies, which implies a life focused on the concrete and personal, driven by inner energy.