Georges Canguilhem and Brazilian Public Health policies and practices: towards current and creative dialogues on ethics of care
1
Collective Health Department, Post-Graduate Programme in Collective Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
2
Department of Philosophy, Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil
3
Department of Collective Health, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Macaé, Brazil
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
The work of the French philosopher and physician Georges Canguilhem (1904–1995) played a foundational role in shaping the intellectual debates that informed Brazil’s Health Reform Movement in the 1970s and the subsequent creation of the Unified Health System (SUS). His doctoral thesis, later published as The Normal and the Pathological, profoundly influenced generations of Brazilian public health scholars. This study revisits the contemporary relevance of Canguilhem’s thought, with particular attention to contributions extending beyond his most cited work.
OBJECTIVE:
To examine the current implications of Canguilhemian philosophy for the politics and ethics of care and clinical, and health governance within Brazilian Collective Health.
METHODS:
A narrative review of academic literature was undertaken, focusing on Canguilhem’s contributions to the ethical, epistemological, and political foundations of care in Brazilian public health systems.
RESULTS:
The analysis indicates that Canguilhem remains a central reference for critical reflection on care within the SUS. His conception of care—one that refuses to suspend the subjectivity, normativity, and lived experience of individuals seeking care—continues to inform debates on the humanisation of health services and the meaningful participation of service users in clinical and organisational decision-making. This perspective is particularly salient in contexts marked by structural inequalities and power asymmetries, including care practices developed in conditions of social marginalisation and heightened vulnerability, such as among LGBTQIA+ populations, people experiencing homelessness, and Indigenous communities.
CONCLUSIONS:
Recently republished in its complete form (Vrin Edition, France), Canguilhem’s work offers renewed ethical and theoretical insights for contemporary public health debates. His philosophy supports an understanding of care as a relational, normative, and life-producing practice, challenging technocratic and reductionist approaches to health. These contributions remain highly relevant for the education and training of public health professionals committed to equity-oriented, participatory, critical and emancipatory approaches to care and health system governance.
The work of the French philosopher and physician Georges Canguilhem (1904–1995) played a foundational role in shaping the intellectual debates that informed Brazil’s Health Reform Movement in the 1970s and the subsequent creation of the Unified Health System (SUS). His doctoral thesis, later published as The Normal and the Pathological, profoundly influenced generations of Brazilian public health scholars. This study revisits the contemporary relevance of Canguilhem’s thought, with particular attention to contributions extending beyond his most cited work.
OBJECTIVE:
To examine the current implications of Canguilhemian philosophy for the politics and ethics of care and clinical, and health governance within Brazilian Collective Health.
METHODS:
A narrative review of academic literature was undertaken, focusing on Canguilhem’s contributions to the ethical, epistemological, and political foundations of care in Brazilian public health systems.
RESULTS:
The analysis indicates that Canguilhem remains a central reference for critical reflection on care within the SUS. His conception of care—one that refuses to suspend the subjectivity, normativity, and lived experience of individuals seeking care—continues to inform debates on the humanisation of health services and the meaningful participation of service users in clinical and organisational decision-making. This perspective is particularly salient in contexts marked by structural inequalities and power asymmetries, including care practices developed in conditions of social marginalisation and heightened vulnerability, such as among LGBTQIA+ populations, people experiencing homelessness, and Indigenous communities.
CONCLUSIONS:
Recently republished in its complete form (Vrin Edition, France), Canguilhem’s work offers renewed ethical and theoretical insights for contemporary public health debates. His philosophy supports an understanding of care as a relational, normative, and life-producing practice, challenging technocratic and reductionist approaches to health. These contributions remain highly relevant for the education and training of public health professionals committed to equity-oriented, participatory, critical and emancipatory approaches to care and health system governance.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
We process personal data collected when visiting the website. The function of obtaining information about users and their behavior is carried out by voluntarily entered information in forms and saving cookies in end devices. Data, including cookies, are used to provide services, improve the user experience and to analyze the traffic in accordance with the Privacy policy. Data are also collected and processed by Google Analytics tool (more).
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
You can change cookies settings in your browser. Restricted use of cookies in the browser configuration may affect some functionalities of the website.
