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Surveying Low-Cost Methods to Measure Lifespan and Healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans

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What is it to be healthy?

Elselijn Kingma¹

¹Department of History and Philosophy of Science Cambridge University Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RH, UK emk29@cam.ac.uk.

|February 14, 2008

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Christopher Boorse's Bio-Statistical Theory (BST) defines health as normal function. However, this study shows that the BST's concept of health is not value-free, as its success depends on arbitrary reference class selections.

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Area of Science:

Philosophy of Medicine
Bioethics
Philosophy of Science

Background:

Christopher Boorse's Bio-Statistical Theory (BST) posits health as statistically normal biological function within a reference class.
BST asserts that health and disease are objective, empirical, and value-free concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

To critically evaluate the dependence of the Bio-Statistical Theory (BST) on the selection of reference classes.
To demonstrate that the choice of reference classes significantly alters the definition of health within the BST framework.
To challenge the claim that BST's concepts of health and disease are value-free.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis of Christopher Boorse's Bio-Statistical Theory (BST).
Examination of the role and selection criteria for reference classes in defining health.
Argumentation against the objective and value-free nature of BST's health concepts.

Main Results:

The success and specific definition of health within the BST are contingent upon the chosen reference classes.
There is no inherent empirical or objective basis for selecting Boorse's proposed reference classes.
The BST's conceptualization of health is influenced by value judgments, contrary to its claims.

Conclusions:

The Bio-Statistical Theory's definition of health is not objectively determined and is influenced by the choice of reference classes.
The BST's concepts of health and disease are not value-free.
Alternative accounts of health utilizing different reference classes may be equally or more valid than the BST.