2004
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Filosofie & Praktijk
  4. Volume 46, Issue 4
  5. Article
Volume 46, Issue 4
  • ISSN: 0167-2444
  • E-ISSN: 2949-8651

Abstract

Abstract

This essay explores how epistemic injustice arises within healthcare practice, using the long-overlooked ‘female heart’ as a central example. The atypical symptoms experienced by women were not noticed because medical norms were based on the male body. The dominant biopsychosocial (BPS) model also falls short: although it aims to integrate body, mind, and context, it often does so in a standardized and control-oriented manner that leaves little room for subjective experience and variation. The essay argues that this approach results in the exclusion and reduction of meaningful forms of knowledge. By placing evolutionary thinking at the center – where variation and adaptation are crucial – and introducing the concept of hermeneutic physics, a shift in physiotherapy and rehabilitation becomes possible. This perspective recognizes the body as a complex, dynamic system in constant interaction with its environment. It creates space for a more inclusive, just, and meaningful approach to care – one in which experiential knowledge is taken seriously.

© Wim Hullegie
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.5117/FEP.2025.4.005.HULL
2025-12-01
2026-01-10
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Aydin, C., Extimate technology: Self-formation in a technological world. London: Routledge, 2021.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Beerends, S. & Aydin, C., “Negotiating authenticity in technological environments: Human agency and the notion of the ‘technologically saturated self’”, Philosophy & Technology34 (2021) 4, 1093–1110. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13347-021-00480-5
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Darwin, C., The origin of species (J. W.Burrow, ed.). London: Penguin Books, 2009.
     [Google Scholar]
  4. Engel, G. L., “The need for a new medical model: A challenge for biomedicine”, Science196 (1977) 4286, 129–136. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.847460
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Fricker, M., Epistemic injustice: Power and the ethics of knowing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Holland, J. H., Complexity: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.
     [Google Scholar]
  7. Kockelkoren, P., Techniek: kunst, kermis en theater. Rotterdam: NAi Uitgevers, 2003.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Kockelkoren, P., “Pleidooi voor een technisch natuurverstaan”, Algemeen Nederlands Tijdschrift voor de Wijsbegeerte116 (2024) 3, 273-289.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Maas, A., Hart voor vrouwen: De cardioloog over het vrouwenhart. Amsterdam: De Arbeiderspers, 2019.
     [Google Scholar]
  10. Maas, A. & Quaegebeur, E., De gezondheidskloof: Waarom vrouwen nog steeds op achterstand staan. Amsterdam: De Arbeiderspers, 2024.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Nesse, R. M. & Williams, G. C., Why we get sick: The new science of Darwinian medicine. New York: Times Books, 1994.
     [Google Scholar]
  12. Smit, H., Darwinisme, monisme en ziekte. Amsterdam: Boom, 2010.
     [Google Scholar]
  13. Williams, G. C., Adaptation and natural selection: A critique of some current evolutionary thought. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1966.
     [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.5117/FEP.2025.4.005.HULL
Loading
Keyword(s): biological variation; care and interpretation; epistemic injustice; evolutionary perspective on care; hermeneutic physics

Most Cited Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error