Synopses & Reviews
Most researchers would be amazed to discover that opinions they have about cherished themes in biology and medicine are biased. Van der Steen and Ho contend that logic and methodology are not well applied in biology and medicine, arguing that the impact of social and moral factors on claims within these two disciplines is underestimated. In response to this situation, Van der Steen and Ho present tools from logic and ethics for assessing existing literature. These tools will help to create sound articles and materials in the life sciences.
After reviewing logic and methodological approaches, broad guidelines are used to place science in a social context. Examples from life sciences illustrate the implementation of logic, methodology, and guidelines in forty-five brief case studies. Each study includes comments on quoted and paraphrased passages from a single article or book. Cross-references facilitate the assimilation of lessons from the text. Students, researchers, and scholars in biology, biomedicine, philosophy, and ethics as applied to the life sciences will find this guide useful in improving their research and writing skills.
Review
A rather useful source of ideas for critical thinking as a science. . . . Since the critical philosophical issues are commonly not discussed in scientific training, the book could make writers in the life sciences aware of problems they might not otherwise consider.The Quarterly Review of Biology
Synopsis
Presents tools from logic and ethics for assessing and creating scientific literature in biology and biomedicine.
Synopsis
Van der Steen and Ho present tools from logic and ethics for assessing and creating scientific literature in biology and biomedicine. Contending that logic and methodology are not well applied in medicine and biology, they argue that the impact of social and moral factors on claims within the disciplines are underestimated by most researchers. They then set forth approaches to better assess the literature and to generate more effectively argued and accurate materials.
Synopsis
ic and ethics for assessing and creating scientific literature in biology and biomedicine.
About the Author
WIM J. van der STEEN is Professor of Philosophy of Biology at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam.VINCENT K. Y. HO is with the Faculty of Biology, Vrije Universiteit.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Methodology as Practical Philosophy
Introduction
Concepts, Statements, and Arguments
Hyptheses, Theories, and Explanations
Facts and Values
Putting Science in Context
Introduction
A Survey of Guidelines
Application: Texts with Comments
Introduction
Altruism and Egoism
Genes, Behavior, and Psychopathology
Medication
Stress
Genetic Engineering
Miscellaneous Subjects
A Tale of Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
Introduction
Biased Promotion of Drugs: The Case of NSAIDS by Wim J. van der Steen
Response 1: Private Drug Research by Harry Cook
Response 2: Diet Therapy as a Viable Alternative for NSAIDS by Dorine Bax
Response 3: NSAIDS in the Netherlands: The View of a General Practitioner by Arjen Groen
Appendix to Part IV: Improving Style
Postlude
Bibliography
Index