Does it make sense to talk about “all exhibitions”? A Critical Theory of Exhibitions

Seminar Theme: “The Limits of the Drive for Integration”

According to the definition originally proposed by Christopher Wild in 2005, the concept of the exposome refers to “the totality of exposures to which an individual is subjected throughout their life […] encompassing the chemical, microbiological, physical, recreational, and pharmaceutical environments, as well as lifestyle, diet, and infections.” But what does the use of the term “totality” mean here?

In this presentation, Gilles Moutot examines the concept of the exposome and its application to current scientific challenges. In doing so, he offers an introduction to the philosophy of health. Since its emergence, the concept of the exposome has been associated with the promise of a deep (and comprehensive) understanding of the links between health and the environment. However, the study of the exposome is often conducted using a “reductionist” approach through collections of data measured by biomarkers—biomarkers considered to reflect the environment’s effect on our bodies. How can we integrate the concept of the exposome with the idea of totality—not as a mere aggregation of data but as a synthesis of that data—within a truly integrated approach?

There are two main difficulties associated with the use of this concept: it is linked to an impossible claim to comprehensiveness, and it separates the organism from the environment—the internal environment from the external environment. Thus, this concept faces the same challenges as the notion of living environment(s), as an indivisible reality, since it exists only through the complex and reciprocal links between living organisms and ecosystems.

Gilles Moutot is an associate professor of philosophy in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Montpellier-Nîmes Faculty of Medicine and a member of the Center for Political and Social Studies (CEPEL) (University of Montpellier / CNRS). He recently co-edited the anthology*Medicine, Health, and the Humanities*. Handbook of the College of Medical Humanities(Paris, Les Belles Lettres, 2021).