https://publish.kne-publishing.com/index.php/jmehm <p>The&nbsp;<strong><em>Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine</em></strong>&nbsp;is the official scientific publication of the&nbsp;<strong>Medical Ethics and History of Medicine of Tehran University of Medical Sciences.&nbsp;</strong>Physicians and health practitioners always deal with ethical issues in treatment and management of diseases. The advent of new biomedical technologies further complicated the moral and societal issues of medical research and practice. Religious and cultural differences more emphasize the need for nationalizing this knowledge. The&nbsp;<strong><em>Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine (J Med Ethics Hist Med)&nbsp;</em></strong>is an opportunity for healthcare professionals as well as theologians, philosophers, and sociologists to present and discuss their ideas from several aspects in relation to medical ethics and bioethics. In addition this Journal traces its roots to several aspects of History of Medicine which further emphasizes on Iranian and Islamic era.</p> <p><strong data-stringify-type="bold">All the manuscripts should be submitted through the Journal Primary Website at <a href="https://jmehm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmehm/about/submissions">https://jmehm.tums.ac.ir/index.php/jmehm/about/submissions</a></strong></p> Tehran University of Medical Sciences en-US Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine 2008-0387 https://publish.kne-publishing.com/index.php/jmehm/article/view/21773 <p>Concepts of health and disease occupy a foundational position within medicine, shaping clinical decision-making, research agendas, public health policies, and ethical evaluation. Despite their differences, both naturalistic and normativist approaches to health and disease share an organism-centered orientation. While these frameworks have offered important insights, their underlying assumptions have become increasingly difficult to sustain in contemporary medical practice. Advances in medical technology have produced forms of embodiment in which implantable devices, long-term pharmacological regulation, neurotechnological interventions, and algorithmic decision systems play a constitutive role in regulating bodily functions and clinical judgment. In such contexts, technology can no longer be understood as merely external to a self-contained organism. Drawing on the concept of the cyborg condition, this paper analyzes the growing interdependence between biological and technological elements in medicine. Against this background, the paper critically examines naturalistic and normativist theories, focusing on their reliance on biological norms and species-typical functioning. As technological interventions become pervasive, distinctions between natural and artificial, internal and external, and therapy and enhancement grow increasingly unstable. *Corresponding Author Alireza Monajemi Address: No. 4, Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies (IHCS), Iranshenasi St., Kurdestan Highway, Tehran, Iran. Postal Code: 1437774681 PO Box : 14155 Tel: (+98) 21 88 49 02 09 Email: monajemi@ihcs.ac.ir Received: 23 Dec 2025 Accepted: 21 Feb 2026 Published:13 Jun 2026 Citation to this article: Monajemi A. Rethinking health and disease in the age of the cyborg: Conceptual challenges for philosophy of medicine. J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2026; 19: 4. Rather than proposing a complete alternative theory, the paper highlights the limits of existing frameworks and argues for a more relational and systemic view in which health and disease are understood as features of human-technology systems.</p> Alireza Monajemi Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Medical Ethics and History of Medicine 2026-06-16 2026-06-16 10.18502/jmehm.v19i4.21773