Buch, Englisch, 144 Seiten, Format (B × H): 226 mm x 135 mm, Gewicht: 312 g
Order, Meaning, and Free Will in Modern Medical Science
Buch, Englisch, 144 Seiten, Format (B × H): 226 mm x 135 mm, Gewicht: 312 g
Reihe: Leonard Hastings Schoff Lectures
ISBN: 978-0-231-11506-3
Verlag: Columbia University Press
Pollack begins by reflecting on the large questions of meaning and purpose and the difficulty of finding either in the orderly world described by the data of science. He considers the obligation to find meaning and purpose despite natural selection's claim to be a complete explanation of our presence as a species a claim that calls upon neither natural intention, nor design, nor Designer. Next, the book focuses on matters of free will, from the choice of a scientist to accept evidence, to the choice of a religious person to accept a revelation, to a patient's loss of free will in medical treatment. Here Pollack addresses questions of ethics and offers a provocative comparison of two difficult texts whose contents remain incompletely understood: the DNA "text" of the human genome and the Hebrew record of Jewish written and oral law. In closing, Pollack considers the promise of genetic medicine in enabling us to glimpse our own future and offers a reconsideration of the possible utility of the so-called placebo effect in curing illness.
Whether refuting a DNA-based biological model of Judaism or discussing the Darwinian concept of the species, Pollack, under the banner of free inquiry, presents a genuine, vital, and well-argued assay of the intersection of science and religion.
Fachgebiete
- Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften Interdisziplinär Naturwissenschaften, Technik, Medizin
- Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Wissenssoziologie, Wissenschaftssoziologie, Techniksoziologie
- Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Medizin, Gesundheitswesen
- Naturwissenschaften Biowissenschaften Biowissenschaften
Weitere Infos & Material
Preface to the 2013 Paperback EditionPrefaceAcknowledgments1. Order Vs. Meaning: Science and Religion2. The Meaning is in the Order: DNA-based medicine3. Meaning Beyond Order: The Science of One Life at a TimePostscriptBibliographyIndex