Health beyond medicine. A planetary theory extension

Area of Science:

• Sociology of health
• Systems theory
• Social control

Background:

• Niklas Luhmann identified health as a key societal function system, but his analysis remained underdeveloped.
• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted critical gaps in understanding the health system's societal role.
• Existing Luhmannian frameworks require updating to address contemporary health challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To reconstruct and update Luhmann's sociological theory of the health system.
• To introduce a novel three-dimensional concept of health: organic, psychic, and social.
• To analyze the risks associated with expanding the health concept to a planetary scale.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical reconstruction and extension of Niklas Luhmann's systems theory.
• Conceptual analysis of health, encompassing organic, psychic, and social dimensions.
• Risk assessment of health system overexpansion and its societal implications.

Main Results:

• A refined, three-dimensional model of health (organic, psychic, social) is presented.
• The study identifies significant risks in extending the health concept to the planetary level.
• A potential rise in totalitarian social control, exceeding traditional medical control, is a key risk.

Conclusions:

• The updated Luhmannian analysis offers critical insights into the health system's function and boundaries.
• The research provides a framework for evaluating political responses to health crises like COVID-19.
• Understanding the risks of health system overexpansion is crucial for maintaining social freedom.