A Natural History of the Soul
Publisher
:
Éditions P.U.F.
Parution date
:
2003
EAN
:
9782130536161
Description
Laura Bossi, a neurologist, sets out to tell the complete story of the soul, from its first appearance in early art and texts to today. At the dawn of the third millennium, the soul occupies a relatively marginal place in our daily existence. Philosophers have declared the soul dead, psychoanalysts don’t dare say the word, and even theologians, afraid of being taken for outmoded dualists, avoid the topic. Yet even in this atmosphere, the soul lives on. Biologists, neurologists, right-to-lifers, and even emergency rescue personnel grapple to understand where the physical body ends and that “something-more” begins. Scientists vie to create robotic beings with that special substance that will render them more human. Lawyers and ethicists struggle to define life, and if and when cloning, genetic engineering, reproductive assistance, and organ replacement pose a threat to humanity. Bossi incorporates all these philosophical, historical, and technological issues into her fascinating study.
Author
Laura Bossi : Laura Bossi is a neurologist, and the author of numerous medical articles about epilepsy and degenerative diseases of the nervous system. She has curated a number of exhibits in museums, including “Les siècles d’or de la medecine” at the Musée d’histoire naturelle in 1989, “La fabrique de la pensée” at the Cité des Sciences in 1990, and “L’âme au corps” at the Grand Palais in 1993. She is of Italian origin, but lives and works in Paris, and writes in French.
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