Vital Norms: Canguilhem's "The Normal and the Pathological" in the Twenty-First Century

Medicine exists “as the art of life” because individuals have come to identify
certain states as being in need of correction “in relation to the dynamic
polarity of life.” Written in wartime by French philosopher Georges Canguilhem
(1904-1995), The Normal and the Pathological offers a powerful and
unparalleled critique of biological and medical thought. Drawing on the Œuvres
complètes and on unpublished manuscripts, this collection of new essays
situates The Normal and the Pathological in its own philosophical, scientific,
and cultural context and brings Canguilhem’s writings into conversation with
pressing epistemological issues in the biological and the social sciences. It
also articulates his critique of norms and normality within current debates in
the philosophy of medicine and medical humanities. Exploring the richness of
Canguilhem’s philosophy, Vital Norms demonstrates how fertile his work remains
for our understanding of health, disease, and illness in the twenty-first
century.

“Vital Norms breaks new grounds in the philosophical and historical study of
Georges Canguilhem’s masterpiece, The Normal and the Pathological. Collecting
a series of engaging and insightful essays, it analyses Canguilhem’s rich and
complex thought using archival material and published sources, and shows its
enduring relevance for challenges posed by contemporary life sciences and
medicine.” Camille Limoges (CIRST)