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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1979

Milestones and rates of growth in the development of biology.

An attempt has been made to examine the exponetial rate of increase of the great discoveries, the "milestones," in the rise of biology from the beginning of the seventeenth century, and particularly in the rise of genetics from the beginning of the twentieth century. The biological sciences in general, during the three centuries named, exhibit a doubling of the number of great discoveries in each fifty years. Genetics, in the twentieth century, has risen much faster. Its doubling time for the most significant discoveries has been about twenty-two and a half years. Either of these rates is of course far slower than the exponential rise in the total output of biological science, the number of scientists, or the cost of science, which have been generally reported to double about every ten years or less. It follows that, as time passes, and until these exponetial rates become considerably altered, a relationship of diminishing returns is quite evident. As time passes, even though the most significant discoveries continue to increase exponetially, it takes a greater total output, a greater number of (assisting?) scientists, and greater amounts of money to yield a set quantity of major new findings. The rapid rise of the life sciences cannot continue its present course into the twenty-first century without meeting ineluctable limits to expansion. It may be argued that as in other human spheres of activity, so too in natural science there are limits to growth which we are rapidly approaching. From the predictable asymptote only unpredictable breakthroughs might deliver us.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Toward a theory of human disease.

The importance of the idea of human disease is revealed by the attention that it receives in both the social and biological sciences. It is striking, thus, that despite its certrality and fundamental relevance to an understanding of man and his social institutions, no theory which exclusively addresses human disease has been developed. The purpose of this paper is to set forth a preliminary outline of a theory of human disease. In the paper, an exploratory approach is followed. That is, the requirements of and problem areas which a theory of disease should explain are touched on. The material draws from literature in both the social and biological sciences. Some attempt is made to link the material to contemporary questions in these fields.

Anthropology↗
PubMed1978

The biology of ethics or the ethics of biology? The biologist's quest for meaning.

The biologist's involvement in value issues concerning the metholology of biological sciences, in establishing the biological basis of ethics and in creating a value system based on biological knowledge is examined. It is proposed that the roots of this involvement are in the conflict of the knowledge-ethic with the established system of values and in the need for metaphysical explanation.

Biology↗
PubMed1978

[Reactions vis-a-vis the disabled. Critical comments on G. H. Neumann's article: prejudices and negative attitudes towards the disabled--their origin and methods of elimination from the viewpoint: of behavioural science and biology (author's transl)].

Neumann's opinion that prejudices towards the disabled are decisively determined by inborn reactions, i.e., the reaction towards outsiders and the fear reaction towards strangers, is put to question. Ethological and ethnological research results demonstrate that the studies of human and animal behaviour towards the "disabled" are still in an elementary stage and that hitherto available results only permit the conclusion that animals as well as human beings display a very complex and differentiated behaviour vis-a-vis the disabled. In connection with human beings this complexity is seen as evidence of the outstanding significance of societal factors--in their broadest sense--for the formation of prejudices towards the disabled. The necessity of a goal-oriented elimination of these prejudices is stressed. Furthermore, attention is drawn to terminological problems and the difficulties or comparisons between human beings and animals.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

A view of the background of Freudian theory.

A major concern of nineteenth century scientists was to delineate the objective units or entities with which science deals. While some philosophers of science abandoned the search as futile and tried to redefine science, investigators in the biological sciences and the sciences of man attempted to discover new entities upon which to base their disciplines. A new understanding of hypnotism gave Freud the opportunity to isolate objective entities within the mind and to found a psychology on that basis.

Animals↗