• Wenban AB
• Denis FL

• Innate Intelligence
• Open Access Document
• Philosophy, Chiropractic
• Philosophy, Chiropractic / history
• Vitalism

Objective: To examine how 9 influential chiropractic authors have conceptualized Innate Intelligence, tracing its evolution from D.D. Palmer's foundational formulation through diverse subsequent interpretations, and to identify patterns of convergence, divergence, and transformation in this core chiropractic construct.

Methods: Authors were broadly screened and then purposively sampled using maximum variation sampling combined with critical case sampling strategies. A qualitative, historical-philosophical methodology was employed to conduct comparative textual analysis of primary works by those authors who meet the purposive sampling inclusion criteria. Each author's conceptualization of Innate Intelligence was systematically analyzed regarding definition, characteristics, relationship to Universal Intelligence, clinical application, and epistemological approach.

Results: Nine out of an initial pool of 18 authors met the purposive sampling inclusion criteria: D.D. Palmer (1910), Ralph W. Stephenson (1927), B.J. Palmer (1949), Reginald Gold (1984), Joseph B. Strauss (1991), Ian D. Coulter (1999), Joseph C. Keating Jr. (2005), David Koch (2008), and Simon A. Senzon (2011). Analysis revealed a complex spectrum from Palmer's explicitly spiritual understanding of Innate Intelligence as the "soul" through Stephenson's systematic codification, Gold's vitalistic traditionalism, Keating's critical historical analysis, Koch's integrated approach, to Senzon's contemporary naturalistic interpretation emphasizing systems biology and emergence. Key tensions emerged between maintaining Palmer's vitalistic foundations versus achieving academic legitimacy through scientific language, with Keating representing scholarly critique and Koch attempting synthesis. All authors except Keating and Coulter retained the concept as clinically central while diverging substantially in metaphysical commitments.

Discussion: The evolution demonstrates another example of "The Palmer Paradox" whereby each author's attempt to preserve chiropractic's philosophical distinctiveness while adapting to evolving contexts has produced interpretations differing fundamentally from D.D. Palmer's original vision. The analysis reveals three distinct trajectories: vitalistic preservation (B.J. Palmer, Gold), systematic codification (Stephenson, Strauss), and academic translation (Coulter, Keating, Koch, Senzon). Keating's critical historical perspective provides unique meta-level analysis, treating Innate Intelligence as object of scholarly investigation rather than professional commitment. The progression reveals systematic secularization, increased systematization, and movement from experiential knowing through logical frameworks to empirical inquiry.

Conclusion: While Innate Intelligence remains rhetorically central to much of the philosophy of chiropractic, its meaning has transformed substantially across nine major authors. Understanding this evolution illuminates ongoing debates about chiropractic identity, scope of practice, and philosophical foundations. The analysis suggests that meaningful engagement with philosophy of chiropractic requires acknowledging both historical continuity and substantive conceptual change, with particular attention to the epistemological diversity represented across vitalistic commitment, systematic codification, critical scholarship, and naturalistic reinterpretation.

Author keywords: Chiropractic; Philosophy; Innate Intelligence; Vitalism; Comparative Analysis; Metaphysics; Professional Identity; Conceptual Evolution

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