vitalist

Vitalism is a doctrine in the philosophy of biology that holds living organisms are fundamentally different from non-living systems because they are governed by a vital principle or life force that cannot be fully explained by physical or chemical laws alone. It posits that life involves causes or principles beyond standard mechanistic explanations.

Historically, the idea has roots in ancient philosophy, such as Aristotle's notion of an entelechy guiding living beings, and it persisted through the 18th and 19th centuries in various forms of medical and biological theory. Proponents argued that organization, growth, and reproduction imply a superior organizing principle that directs life.

In the 20th century, figures such as Henri Bergson articulated the élan vital as a creative force in evolution and development. Embryology experiments by Hans Driesch were taken by some Vitalists as evidence for non-mechanical causation, though interpretations differed and the broader scientific community remained skeptical.

Modern biology is largely mechanistic or emergent, explaining life through chemistry, genetics, and systems theory. Vitalism as a scientific hypothesis has been largely rejected, but the term persists in philosophy of biology and in some contexts within alternative medicine or holistic approaches. The discussion remains part of broader debates about the limits of reductionism and the nature of life.

Vitalism thus endures as a historical position and a reference point in discussions about how best to understand living systems and their distinctive properties.