[.ca] A Philosophical Disease: Bioethics, Culture, and Identity (ISBN 0415919401)

Thought-provoking for the layperson and the bioethicist:
The funny thing about the mid-20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein is that it's nigh on impossible to understand what he means if one just readd his Philosophical Investigations (PI)... yet when Elliott applies Wittgenstein's PI to issues in medicine, it becomes possible to see why Wittgenstein is considered such a revolutionary figure. One of the excellent things about this work is that Elliott, himself, is so clearly fascinated by the subjects he delves into that his enthusiasm is infectious. The book is thus quite engaging. It helps that Elliott uses familiar references. For example, in Chapter 2, "You Are What You Are Afflicted By", Elliott deals with how it is that the way we label ourselves (particularly when we have been diagnosed with a disease) constructs our identities. One of his epigraphs at the beginning of the chapter is a quote from Casablanca... Major Strasser: What is your nationality; Rick: I'm a drunkard. Elliott then proceeds to apply Maggie Little, Art Frank, Wittgenstein, and anthropologist Clifford Geertz to the matter of identity and disease, with particular reference to deafness and intersex (children who are born neither clearly male nor clearly female). This sort of connection between the mundane/real and elegant philosophy persists throughout. Who can fault an author who uses the Talking Heads to introduce a chapter that tackles the philosophically tricky issue of how the use of Prozac affects our very sense of self, and our relation to social problems?

Thought-provoking for the layperson and the bioethicist:
The funny thing about the mid-20th century philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein is that it's nigh on impossible to understand what he means if one just readd his Philosophical Investigations (PI)... yet when Elliott applies Wittgenstein's PI to issues in medicine, it becomes possible to see why Wittgenstein is considered such a revolutionary figure. One of the excellent things about this work is that Elliott, himself, is so clearly fascinated by the subjects he delves into that his enthusiasm is infectious. The book is thus quite engaging. It helps that Elliott uses familiar references. For example, in Chapter 2, "You Are What You Are Afflicted By", Elliott deals with how it is that the way we label ourselves (particularly when we have been diagnosed with a disease) constructs our identities. One of his epigraphs at the beginning of the chapter is a quote from Casablanca... Major Strasser: What is your nationality; Rick: I'm a drunkard. Elliott then proceeds to apply Maggie Little, Art Frank, Wittgenstein, and anthropologist Clifford Geertz to the matter of identity and disease, with particular reference to deafness and intersex (children who are born neither clearly male nor clearly female). This sort of connection between the mundane/real and elegant philosophy persists throughout. Who can fault an author who uses the Talking Heads to introduce a chapter that tackles the philosophically tricky issue of how the use of Prozac affects our very sense of self, and our relation to social problems?

Excellent:
Dr. Elliott raises awareness about some very socially significant points. The issues raised range in topic from bioethics, language, and psychology. It is very nicely written; he presents his points very logically. A great philosophy book.