This article is about the non-mechanist philosophy. For the Jain philosophical concept, see Vitalism (Jainism). For other uses, see Vital (disambiguation).
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Vitalism is a belief that starts from the premise that "living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living entities because they contain some non-physical element or are governed by different principles than are inanimate things."[1][a] Where vitalism explicitly invokes a vital principle, that element is often referred to as the "vital spark", "energy", "élan vital" (coined by vitalist Henri Bergson), "vital force", or "vis vitalis", which some equate with the soul. In the 18th and 19th centuries, vitalism was discussed among biologists, between those who felt that the known mechanics of physics would eventually explain the difference between life and non-life and vitalists who argued that the processes of life could not be reduced to a mechanistic process. Vitalist biologists such as Johannes Reinke proposed testable hypotheses meant to show inadequacies with mechanistic explanations, but their experiments failed to provide support for vitalism. Biologists now consider vitalism in this sense to have been refuted by empirical evidence, and hence regard it either as a superseded scientific theory,[4] or, since the mid-20th century, as a pseudoscience.[5][6]
Vitalism has a long history in medical philosophies: many traditional healing practices posited that disease results from some imbalance in vital forces.
^Bechtel, William; Williamson, Robert C. (1998). "Vitalism". In E. Craig (ed.). Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Routledge.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Evelyn Fox Keller, Making Sense of Life Explaining Biological Development with Models, Metaphors, and Machines. Harvard University Press, 2002.
^Ruse, Michael (2013). "17. From Organicism to Mechanism-and Halfway Back?". In Henning, Brian G.; Scarfe, Adam (eds.). Beyond Mechanism: Putting Life Back Into Biology. Lexington Books. p. 419. ISBN 9780739174371.
^Williams, Elizabeth Ann (2003). A Cultural History of Medical Vitalism in Enlightenment Montpellier. Ashgate. p. 4. ISBN 978-0-7546-0881-3.
^Cite error: The named reference DevBio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
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but their experiments failed to provide support for vitalism. Biologists now consider vitalism in this sense to have been refuted by empirical evidence...
[paskal aʁbɛz nikɔla]; born 18 May 1976), better known by his stage name Vitalic (/ˈvɪtəlɪk/), is a French electronic music producer. His first singles...
killing them Elan Vital (disambiguation) Saint Vital (disambiguation) Saint Vitalis (disambiguation) Vital signs (disambiguation) Vitalism, the doctrine that...
without the involvement of any living organism, thus disproving vitalism. Although vitalism has been discredited, scientific nomenclature retains the distinction...
A vital stain in a casual usage may mean a stain that can be applied on living cells without killing them. Vital stains have been useful for diagnostic...
VITAL may refer to: Vitamin D and Omega-3 Trial, a 7 year clinical trial VHDL-VITAL, VHDL Initiative Towards ASIC Libraries VITAL (machine learning software)...
Vital signs (also known as vitals) are a group of the four to six most crucial medical signs that indicate the status of the body's vital (life-sustaining)...
Vital records are records of life events kept under governmental authority, including birth certificates, marriage licenses (or marriage certificates)...
Look up elan vital in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Elan Vital may refer to: Élan vital, a philosophical term coined by Henri Bergson in 1907, roughly...
VitalSource Technologies is an education technology and digital content company founded in 1994. The company works with companies, universities, and publishers...
Joseph-Léon-Vital Mallette (16 September 1888 – 17 April 1939) was a Liberal party member of the House of Commons of Canada. He was born in Pointe-Claire...
Vital capacity (VC) is the maximum amount of air a person can expel from the lungs after a maximum inhalation. It is equal to the sum of inspiratory reserve...
Joel Ângelo Couto Ferreiro Vital, known as Joel Vital (born 7 December 1987) is a Portuguese football player who plays for Sporting Covilhã. He made his...
The Vital Center: The Politics of Freedom is a 1949 book by Harvard historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. It defends liberal democracy and a state-regulated...
Vital Idol is a remix album by English rock singer Billy Idol, released in June 1985 by Chrysalis Records. It contains remixed songs from his first two...
"Vital N'Simba". FC Girondins de Bordeaux. Retrieved 17 September 2022. Vital Nsimba at Soccerway Vital Nsimba at National-Football-Teams.com Vital Nsimba...
belief that organic compounds were characterized by a vital spirit. In the absence of vitalism, the distinction between inorganic and organic chemistry...
Steve Smith and Vital Information is an American jazz fusion group led by drummer Steve Smith. The first line-up of Vital Information — Steve Smith (drums)...
Francisco António Lucas Vital (born 27 June 1954) is a Portuguese former football forward and manager. Born in Braga, Vital spent all of his early career...
The Vital Question is a book by the English biochemist Nick Lane about the way the evolution and origin of life on Earth was constrained by the provision...
Vital of Bayeux was a knight of William the Conqueror, known from the Bayeux tapestry and the Domesday Book. Vital was one of three Norman knights named...
Vital rates refer to how fast vital statistics change in a population (usually measured per 1000 individuals). There are 2 categories within vital rates:...
Vital Anatolyevich Rymasheuski (Belarusian: Віталь Анатольевіч Рымашэўскі, born 3 March 1975) is a Belarusian politician and one of the presidential candidates...
The Vital Spark is a fictional Clyde puffer, created by Scottish writer Neil Munro. As its captain, the redoubtable Para Handy, often says: "the smertest...
Yedidia Vital (Hebrew: ידידיה ויטל; born 2 October 1984) is an Israeli actor. Known for portraying the protagonist of the Israeli television series Split...