Applying Aristotle's Doctrine of Causation to Aboriginal and Biomedical Understandings of Diabetes

Aristotle's doctrine on causationidentifies four distinct types of cause: formal, efficient,material, and final. Science is said to have differentiateditself from philosophy by concentrating solely on efficientcauses. Nonetheless, when applied to narratives of causation,Aristotle's doctrine provides a useful heuristic to explore theissues such as Aboriginal and biomedical perceptions of causalfactors for non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) onManitoulin Island, Ontario. This paper also outlines twodivergent causal stories for NIDDM and the associated moralpositions regarding the ‘righteous’ pursuit of health. Biomedical narratives emphasize the role of lifestyle factors,particularly the impact of obesity, in causation. In the case ofdiabetes, the moral course of action is pursued through lifestylechoices. In contrast, Aboriginal narratives emphasize the roleof genetics in causation. These narratives describe diabetes ascollectively affecting Aboriginal people – thus identifyingAboriginal people as different. Aboriginal frameworks for healthventure beyond the ‘efficient’ cause of biomedicine and thus themoral pursuit of health within this framework involves returningto an initial state of health and purity through traditionalknowledge.