Growing whole: The conceptual expansion of medical holism

In this article, I argue for the conceptual expansion of ‘medical holism’ in philosophy beyond anti-reductionism. I will suggest that medical holism has three main conceptual strands: anti-reductionist, anti-oppressive, and plural medicine. I will show that this ‘conceptual family’ has roots in historians of medicine’s understanding of medical holism as well as in philosophical work that traditionally has not been called to mind when discussing medical holism in philosophy. Identifying the strands of medical holism would allow us to better understand what new medical initiatives promise when they use the concept of holism and what should be criticized when these promises are not delivered.