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    If evolutionary function were necessary for disease, then... — Carmelics
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    Supports→Wakefield's connection of disease to an evolutionary concept of function is doubtful as a basis for medical science or common sense about disease

    If evolutionary function were necessary for disease, then conditions arising post-industrially—like repetitive strain injury—would be categorically excluded, contra clinical consensus.

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    Key Terms

    Disease(Boorse's biostatistical theory of health)
    Failure to conform to the species-typical design of humans; specifically, functional efficiency that is either degraded below the typical level or limited by environmental agents, understood as functioning more than a certain distance below the population mean for the relevant reference class
    categorically excluded(as used in philosophical reasoning)
    Completely ruled out or rejected as a matter of principle, rather than just being optional or less important.
    clinical consensus(as used in this medical philosophy argument)
    The general agreement among doctors and medical professionals about how to understand or treat health conditions based on evidence and experience.
    contra(as a Latin phrase introducing an opposing position)
    A Latin word meaning 'against'; used here to signal that the statement is disagreeing with Epstein's view.

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    evolutionary function(as used in philosophy of medicine)
    A trait or characteristic that exists in living things because it helped our ancestors survive and reproduce—like how eyes help us see, which increased our chances of staying alive.
    necessary condition(Counterfactual analysis of causation; Mackie 1965, 1974)
    A condition C is necessary for event E if E would not have occurred in the absence of C
    post-industrial(as used in this medical philosophy argument)
    Referring to the period after societies shifted away from manufacturing-based economies, roughly from the mid-20th century onward, characterized by more service jobs and desk work.
    repetitive strain injury(as an example in this argument)
    Physical damage to muscles, tendons, or nerves caused by repeated motions over time—like carpal tunnel syndrome from excessive typing.

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    Causation1 linkedBioethics1 linked

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    Wakefield's connection of disease to an evolutionary concept of function is doub...

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