The universal cosmic imperative: The contribution of Roy’s model to nursing knowledge

The contemporary challenge in the field of health is undeniably that of devising a way to integrate humans and the environment that is beneficial to health. This article presents the universal cosmic imperative (UCI) philosophical perspective and the notion of the cosmic imperative that leads human beings to be creative in their relationship to nature. It begins by consolidating the exegesis of the internal evolution of Roy’s theory and identifying its influences. The epistemological and philosophical postulates upon which Roy’s theory was built are specified, and then the evolution of Roy’s thought is described in three main phases. The article then moves on to describe and explain the epistemological openings that Roy’s theory allows from the point of view of current health issues, especially environmental medicine, in a macro-meso-micro perspective of global health. Roy’s thinking is part of the question of the current turning point in the discipline of nursing (cure-care-healing) and the definition of its focus. Roy’s theory resists current theoretical developments, which it allows us to describe and question in a pattern that is fruitful for researchers.