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To: theorique
o that's fine - illness is when the body "ain't workin' right." Which raises the question of what "right" means in this case.

You bet it does. How do you know if your "illness" isn't the advent of a new evolutionary process? We are in the process of evolving, aren't we?

You would probably say "as God designed it," and I'd make reference to medical definitions or dictionary definitions.

And what do definitions refer to? Actual things or essences. If the definition doesn't apply to anything existing objectively in reality, of what use is it?

FWIW, MSN's dictionary defines "health," in a medical sense, as "presence or absence of well-being:

Question-begging.

...the general condition of the body or mind, especially in terms of the presence or absence of illnesses,

Question-begging. Is a pregnancy an illness? Is fertility an illness?

Additionally, MSN defines "illness" as "bad health." So we have a circular definition.

injuries

MSN defines injury as "damage to the body." But again, this approaches circularity. Fertility and pregnancy do not constitute damage to the body. So why are these normal states of the body often treated medically as "injuries"?

or impairments."

MSN: "lessening or absence of ability: a lessening or the absence of a particular physical or mental function." Bingo. Health is proportionate to the degree that the body is operating properly.

Therefore, fertility and pregnancy do not represent states of ill-health.

327 posted on 03/23/2005 5:39:32 AM PST by Aquinasfan (Isaiah 22:22, Rev 3:7, Mat 16:19)
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