The Literature Of The Life Sciences

Introduces the diverse roles metaphors play in the life sciences and highlights their significance for theory, communication, and education.

Current guide (1) to the library use of the literature of the biological sciences and related areas, and (2) to the proper reporting of research to the scientific community. Classified arrangement under such topics as bibliographic form, ready reference works, literature of taxonomy, and searching the literature. References are included with chapters. General index. 1st ed., 1942; 8th ed., 1972.

One of the most contentious questions in contemporary literary studies is whether there can ever be a science of literature that can lay claim to objectivity and universality, for example by concentrating on philological criticism, by appealing to cognitive science, or by exposing the underlying media of literary communication. The present collection of essays seeks to open up this discussion by posing the question’s historical and systematic double: has there been a science of literature, i.e. a mode of presentation and practice of reference in science that owes its coherence to the discourse of literature? Detailed analyses of scientific, literary and philosophical texts show that from the late 18th to the late 19th century science and literature were bound to one another through an intricate web of mutual dependence and distinct yet incalculable difference. The Science of Literature suggests that this legacy continues to shape the relation between literary and scientific discourses inside and outside of academia.

"With polished prose and crisp wit, he has brought life to the history, development, and current status of the scientific literature." --JAMA

"Literature & Science Breakthroughs offers strategies for using fiction and non-fiction...to bring all aspects of science to life for children." -- BACK COVER.

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.