The Metaphysics of Disease

This chapter delves into the metaphysical aspects of disease. It focuses on three key areas: the concept of disease in relation to metaphysics, disease causation, and an ontological analysis of various disease types through the lens of disease etiology. By exploring the causes of seizures, the chapter uncovers various philosophical issues in disease etiology and ontology. The discussion touches upon different perspectives on disease pathology, ranging from dispositional to categorical properties, disease-entity models, and processes. The chapter briefly addresses debates on the concept of disease, emphasizing the importance of identifying conditions for defining a patient as diseased as a starting point for metaphysical analysis. It also highlights the ongoing debate between monocausal and multifactorial models of disease causation, using epileptic seizures to illustrate different understandings of disease etiology. Various ontological views related to infectious and chronic diseases are outlined, ultimately suggesting that a dispositional account may best encompass them all.