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The Cannibal Within offers an evolutionary account of the propensity of human beings, in extreme circumstances to eat other human beings, despite the strong Western taboo against such practices. What sets this volume apart from the large body of literature on cannibalism, both popular and anthropological, is the underlying premise: cannibalism as an alternative to starvation is tacitly condoned by the same biological morality that would condemn cannibalism of other sorts in non-threatening situations. Deep as the taboos may be, the survival instinct runs even deeper. The title of the book reflects the author's belief that cannibalism is not a pathology that erupts in psychotic individuals, b...
"The Cannibal Within offers an evolutionary account of the propensity of human beings, in extreme circumstances to eat other human beings, despite the strong Western taboo against such practices. What sets this volume apart from the large body of literature on cannibalism, both popular and anthropological, is the underlying premise: cannibalism as an alternative to starvation is tacitly condoned by the same biological morality that would condemn cannibalism of other sorts in non-threatening situations. Deep as the taboos may be, the survival instinct runs even deeper. The title of the book reflects the author's belief that cannibalism is not a pathology that erupts in psychotic individuals, ...
Living and Dying Well takes an informed, interdisciplinary approach to the problems, data, theory, and procedures that a just society must consider when establishing policies regarding human life and death. Leading psychologist Lewis Petrinovich expands on the controversial arguments developed in his earlier work, Human Evolution, Reproduction, and Morality, and considers such contemporary issues as: the morality of human genetic screening and of the Human Genome Project; organ transplants; the allowance of suicide and euthanasia; and physicians assisting in the dying process.
Lewis Petrinovich argues that humans have a set of cognitive abilities, developing from a suite of emotional attachments, that make them unique among species.
In the first volume of his ambitious trilogy, Petrinovich brings concepts from evolutionary biology, neurophysiology, and cognitive science to bear on such controversial issues as contraception, abortion, infanticide, new reproductive technologies, and fetal tissues research. Although he bases the discussion on extensive scholarly research, he does not hesitate to take a strong position on moral issues. (Published in cloth by Plenum Press, 1995)
In the second volume of his trilogy, Petrinovich presents a detailed account of the dilemmas that humans in technologically advanced societies face when confronted by matters of life, death, and medical treatment. The issues he discusses include genetic screening, the Human Genome Project, criteria for defining death, organ donation and transplantation, and assisted suicide and euthanasia. Petrinovich also discusses healthcare policy issues such as the allocation of scarce medical resources and rationing. He argues for adequate health care as a fundamental moral necessity and makes a number of policy recommendations.(Published in cloth by Plenum Press, 1996)
In his new preface E. O. Wilson reflects on how he came to write this book: how The Insect Societies led him to write Sociobiology, and how the political and religious uproar that engulfed that book persuaded him to write another book that would better explain the relevance of biology to the understanding of human behavior.
International Review of Neurobiology