The logic of therapeutic action in the construction of artificial nature

The logic of the therapeutic action is not internally coherent because “normal” and “natural” do not coincide. In fact, the essence of human beings is the attitude to contrast what is natural by their culture. For instance, if many individuals had not worn a dental brace they would not now have a nice smile. Nowadays, in an affluent society, having uniform teeth is normal, even if not natural. Culture, considered as a set of social expectations as well as biomedical technology, intervenes to modify nature. Yet, the whole process of healing, considered from a wider perspective, show a logical paradox.

Illness is something abnormal. Being normal means being healthy. If a person has a job in which s/he has to work in different hours, a job in which s/he experiences shift turns of working (a hostess, for instance) then it is natural and normal that s/he has problems with the rhythm of sleeping. However, if this condition becomes “scientifically” branded with a high-sounded label like shift work sleep disorder, these persons become sick and “abnormal” people. They are in a pathological condition: they are “hit” by a disease. Therefore in order to go back to normality they have to take a pill. To summarize: a normal reaction to an innatural lifestyle is labelled as a pathological condition (that is, an abnormal situation). Thanks to an artificial device (the pill) the subject can get used to an innatural lifestyle and be considered as (socially) healthy. S/he can return back to her/his productive role.

Drawing from the concept of indefinite medicalization (Foucault),  molecular enhancement (Rose) and immunitas (Esposito) I will analyse the logical structure by which humans through technology become more biological and more natural, but not more artificial.