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From Anticipatory Corpse to Posthuman God.

Jeffrey P Bishop1

  • 1Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, USA jbisho12@slu.edu.

The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy
|October 4, 2016
PubMed
Summary

This critique examines medicine's dominant social imaginary, arguing it's rooted in a power-based ontotheology driving toward a posthuman future. Alternative social imaginaries can offer renewal if they understand and challenge these underlying structures.

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Area of Science:

  • Social Sciences
  • Philosophy of Medicine
  • Medical Sociology

Background:

  • The dominant social imaginary of contemporary medicine is critiqued for its totalizing scope and potentially insufficient remedies.
  • This essay responds to critical engagements with "The Anticipatory Corpse," clarifying and extending the book's arguments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the ontotheological foundations of the current medical social imaginary.
  • To explore how this imaginary is enacted through neoliberalism and interacts with other social imaginaries.
  • To identify potential pathways for renewal and transformation through alternative practices.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical and critical analysis of the concept of the "social imaginary" in medicine.
  • Examination of the relationship between ontology, ethics, and the political economy of neoliberalism.
Keywords:
Foucaultanticipatory corpseautonomyefficient causationhistory of medicinepost-humanismpowertheological ethics

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  • Conceptual framework for understanding the dynamics between dominant and alternative social imaginaries.

    • Main Results:

    • The regnant social imaginary of medicine is grounded in a "power ontology" prioritizing utility maximization and a posthuman future.
    • This ontotheology, originating in the "anticipatory corpse," is enacted via neoliberalism, which actively marginalizes or absorbs competing social imaginaries.
    • Alternative social imaginaries, though often marginalized, hold potential for societal renewal and transformation.

    Conclusions:

    • The current medical social imaginary is deeply intertwined with a specific ontotheology and neoliberal political economy.
    • Understanding and challenging these foundational powers is crucial for practitioners of alternative social imaginaries.
    • Renewal and transformation are possible through strategic engagement with, or withdrawal from, the dominant imaginary.