Biological function, psychological function, normative function: On the concept of function in Georges Canguilhem’s philosophy of life

Abstract

Function plays a fundamental role in biology — as a basis for classification — and in medicine — as a basis for diagnosis. Canguilhem grasped this in his work. Although he never devoted a standalone work to functions, his philosophy of life and of normativity turns on it. In his view, functions are not a fixed property of structures; they are the living being’s way of organizing constraints into norms of life. In this article I distinguish biological functions (physiological, biochemical, biomechanical, etc.) from vital functions (biological plus psychological) and place both within a broader normative field that also includes the social. Biological functionality is necessary, but it becomes normative only when integrated with psychological activity (and, in humans with conceptual mediation). A case study of sexual functions, read through intersex debates and subsequent interpretations, shows how choice and orientation structure the vital dimension without denying the biological. The aim is not to diminish biology but to reaffirm its importance, autonomy, and limits.