Complexity, reductionism and the biomedical model

Abstract

In this chapter we discuss the idea of complexity. While this concept is widely used, its meaning and interpretation usually remain implicit. We show that a mereological view, in which complexity is seen as composition of multiple unchanged parts, motivates an investigation that starts from the separation of causal factors, and their investigation in isolation. In contrast, we propose what we call ‘genuine complexity’, in which the parts of a whole not only compose and interact, but also change each other through such interaction. This, however, requires that we start an investigation from the higher level of complexity: by observing the whole. At such a level, indeed, it is possible to focus on interactions between context, lived experience and physical body parts. Several clinicians, globally, are pushing for a change in this direction. An ecological shift in medicine, we argue, will be not only necessary, but also unavoidable, if we acknowledge that human biology is genuinely complex, and we truly reflect on the meaning and implications of this.