In this thesis, we study body dysmorphic disorder and its aspects in various scientific fields, for example, in the fields of phenomenology, aesthetics, environmental ethics, aesthetic surgery, psychology, and psychiatry. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, body dysmorphic disorder is classified among obsessive-compulsive and related disorders. It is a mental illness where the afflicted person is preoccupied with one or more perceived defects or flaws in physical appearance that are not observable or appear slight to others. Acknowledging the findings so far, we propose our philosophical ideas, which could expand the discourse about body dysmorphic disorder and the general understanding of a human being with a mental disorder. At the same time we present some philosophical counter-arguments that contradict our ideas. We phenomenologically compare body dysmorphic disorder with climate anxiety and equate them from a certain metaphysical point of view, as the bodily flaws on the physical and “environmental body” are the main concern for individuals with these disorders. We analyse this idea in more detail and point to contemporary ethical problems concerning it. The (philosophical) activism – as one of the possible solutions to some ethical issues – is also proposed. In the thesis, we set out a hypothesis concerning a broader issue, namely the extent to which cooperation between philosophers, psychologists, and psychiatrists is needed today, which can, among other things, help us understand man and mental disorders as well as expand the framework of psychological, psychiatric, and philosophical discussion about human beings. The proposed hypothesis is confirmed. We do not criticize the findings of psychological and psychiatric science, but merely emphasize that man on a phenomenological and metaphysical level is more than just a being placed within the framework of scientific naturalism. Another central idea in the thesis is that greater consideration should be given to critical philosophical reflection, as this could contribute to greater prudence and self-reflection in other sciences, leading to the well-being of the afflicted individual and man in general.
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