Apithology
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Apithology is the field of study that looks at the health and wellbeing of systems. It is the antonym of pathology.
More technically, it is concerned with identifying and enhancing the essential elements for the healthy development of emergent systems and the structural and functional changes that produce that healthy development. This may be in any field that looks at complex systems, such as medicine, sociology or biology, for example.
It is not known where the first use of the word apithology occurred in its modern meaning. The origin and historical development of the word comes from its etymology.
Pathos ~ (the root in patho-biology) - comes from the Greek, meaning ‘suffering’. Bios – comes from the Greek meaning ‘life’. Pathology is literally, based on its etymology, the ‘suffering of life’- being the un-health or dis-ease of a system.
Apic ~ (the root of apithology) – comes from its Latin derivation, meaning ‘of, at or forming an apex’ (as in apical). The suffix is the same end-form in common with bi-ology. Apithology is literally, based on its etymology, the ‘apex of life’ - being the health or well-ness of a system.
The term apithology originally emerged from the development of a concept that in essence is the counterpart to its opposite concept - pathology. We understand what apithology is by looking at the meaning of its more familiar antonym:
Pathology is defined as:
(pa·thol·o·gy) - n. pl. pa·thol·o·gies
1) The scientific study of the nature of disease and its causes, processes, development, and consequences. Also called patho-biology.
2) The anatomic or functional manifestations of a disease: (e.g. the pathology of cancer).
3) A departure or deviation from a normal condition: (e.g.“Neighborhoods plagued by a self-perpetuating pathology of joblessness, welfare dependency, crime” (Time).)
The converse term Apithology, is defined as:
(api·thol·o·gy) - n. pl. api·thol·o·gies
1. The [systemic] study of the nature of [wellness] and its causes, processes, development, and consequences. Also called [apico]-biology.
2. The anatomic or functional manifestations of [health]: (e.g. the apithology of emergence).
3. A [conformance] or [adherence] to a [healthy] condition: (e.g. “Neighborhoods were enabled by the self-reinforcing apithology of community engagement, independence, kindness”.)
Just as the opposite of sickness - is not the absence of sickness, but health and wellbeing, the opposite of pathology is not the absence of pathology (being the absence of disease) - but is instead the presence of health – otherwise known as wellness.
The antonym of ‘disease’ is ‘wellness’. Pathology is the study of disease within systems. Apithology is the study of wellness within systems.
The antonym of apithological is pathological.
In a similar way, the antonym of apithology is pathology.
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