Toward a More Natural Science: Biology and Human Affairs

Leon Kass, physician-philosopher and student of the classics, has never lost his natural sense of awe and wonder. In discussing our deathdenying technologies he quotes Homer, and in musing on our care of dead bodies, he compares our practices with those of the ancient Persians (who would not permit a male body to be buried until it was torn by either a dog or a bird of prey). An avid bird watcher, he can write eloquently about the intricacy, ornateness, and exuberance of feathers. His quarry in this book is more formidable, and he approaches it with curiosity and respect—closing the gap between nature studied scientifically and life lived naturally. His quest is nothing less ambitious than reconstructing the science side of the split between the sciences and humanities by demonstrating how nature can teach us about ourselves and our place in the universe. Contemporary medical ethics is in danger