Methods and Morals in the Life Sciences: A Guide for Analyzing and Writing Texts

222 Pages·2001·8.95 MB·English

by  Wim J. van der Steen

Methods and Morals in the
Life Sciences
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Methods and Morals
in the Life Sciences
A GUIDE FOR ANALYZING
AND WRITING TEXTS
Wim J. van der Steen and
Vincent K.Y. Ho
With Contributions by
Harry Cook, Dorine Bax,
and Arjen Groen
PR AEGER Westport, Connecticut
London
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
van der Steen, Wim J., 1940-
Methods and morals in the life sciences : a guide for analyzing and writing texts / Wim
J. van der Steen and Vincent K.Y. Ho.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-275-97119-S (alk. paper)
1. Medical literature—Evaluation. 2. Life sciences literature—Evaluation. 3. Logic. 4.
Medical logic. I. Ho, Vincent K.Y, 1978- II. Title.
R118.6.S84 2001
808'.06657—dc21 00-052869
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2001 by Wim J. van der Steen and Vincent K.Y Ho
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 00-052869
ISBN: 0-275-97119-S
First published in 2001
Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.praeger.com
Printed in the United States of America
@r
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21
Contents
Introduction to This Book 1
PART I. METHODOLOGY AS PRACTICAL
PHIILOSOPHY 7
1. Introduction 9
2. Concepts, Statements, and Arguments 113
2.1 Introduction 13
2.2 Concepts 14
2.3 Statements 19
2.4 Arguments 25
3. Hypotheses, Theories, and Explanations 35
3.1 Introduction 35
3.2 Hypotheses 35
3.3 Theories and Explanations 41
4. Facts and Values 45
PART II. PUTTING SCIENCE IN CONTEXT 49
1. Introduction 51
2. A Survey of Guidelines 55
VI Contents
PART HI. APPLICATIONS: TEXTS WITH
COMMENTS 71
1. Introduction 73
2. Altruism and Egoism 75
Text 1 Evolution: No Place for Altruism? 76
Text 2 Cooperation in Animals and Man 79
Text 3 A Philosopher Looks at Evolution and Altruism 81
Text 4 No Moral Merit for Altruism? 86
Text 5 How Not to Think about Evolution: Murder within
the Family 88
Text 6 Against Pervasive Self-interest 90
Text 7 A Methodological Eye-Opener for Altruism 92
Text 8 Ethics: Oddities of Self-interest 93
Text 9 Ethics: A Vacuous Theory of Self-interest 95
Text 10 A Philosophical Lesson for Ethicists 96
Text 11 Ethics: Discarding a Spurious Puzzle of
Self-Interest 97
Text 12 A Lesson from History: More about Self-interest 98
Text 13 Marriage, Self-interest, and Psychotherapy 99
3. Genes, Behavior, and Psychopathology 101
Text 14 Psychopathology: A Matter of Genes? 101
Text 15 Toward a Full Explanation of Psychopathology
by Genetics? 103
Text 16 Biology for Deviant Forms of Human Behavior 105
Text 17 The Genetics of Separation Anxiety 106
Text 18 A Simplistic View of Genes and Human Behavior 108
Text 19 Psychopathology and Biology: A Report for
Those in Power 110
Text 20 Concentration Camps and Psychopathology 111
Text 21 Should Biology Engulf Psychiatry? 113
Text 22 Mental Health and Food 116
Text 23 Psychopathology and Neurotransmitters 117
Text 24 How Not to Think about Evolution and
Depression 119
Text 25 Biological Abnormality and Psychopathology 121
Contents vii
Text 26 The Puzzle of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder 122
Text.27 Evolutionary Biology Distorted 125
Text 28 Evolution and Psychopathology: A
Methodological Riddle 126
Text 29 Evolutionary Biology as a Profitable Source for
Medicine 128
4. Medication 131
Text 30 Osteoporosis, Menopause, and the
Pharmaceutical Industry 131
Text 31 Medical Journals and the Pharmaceutical Industry 134
Text 32 Drugs and Placebos: Methodological Bias in
Research 137
Text 33 Placebos, Animals, and Man 138
Text 34 Should We Do Away with Biological Psychiatry? 139
5. Stress 143
Text 35 Life Events: Stress for Medicine from Psychology 143
Text 36 A Conceptual Pitfall 146
Text 37 The Fate of Pigs in Husbandry 147
6. Genetic Engineering 151
Text 38 Against Genetic Engineering 151
Text 39 GMOs in the Field: A Misleading Call for
Moderation 154
Text 40 GMOs in the Field: A Staunch Defense 157
7. Miscellaneous Subjects 161
Text 41 Genetics as Our Future Savior? 161
Text 42 Make Room for Molecular Cell Biology 162
Text 43 Stress in Plants 163
Text 44 Population Bomb or Pernicious Politics? 165
Text 45 Shortcomings of Biomedicine: The Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome 167
PART IV. A TALE OF NONSTEROID
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS 171
1. Introduction 173
Vlll Contents
2. Biased Promotion of Drugs: The Case of NSAIDs 177
Wim J. van der Steen
3. Responses 185
Response 1 Private Drug Research, Harry Cook 185
Response 2 Diet Therapy as a Viable Alternative for
NSAIDs, Dorine Bax 188
Response 3 NSAIDS in the Netherlands: The View of a
General Practitioner, Arjen Groen 190
Appendix to Part IV: Improving Style 193
Postlude 203
Bibliography: A Note Concerning Sources 205
Index 207
Introduction to This Book
Few theories in biology provoke as heated a debate as the notion that
human behavior in general, and mental disorders in particular, have a
genetic basis. While there would be no more potent evidence of a
biological basis than the identification of causative genes, none have
been found; on the other hand, opponents of this theory characterize it
as deterministic, casting behavioral genetics as the enemy of free will.
—The Biology of Mental Disorders, Washington, DC: Government
Printing Office 1992, p. 101)
This is how a report of the OTA (the Office of Technology Assessment in
the United States) introduces genetic aspects of mental disorders. At issue
is a controversy over the causation of the disorders, and of behavior in
general. Considering normalities and abnormalities in human behavior,
some see and applaud a pervasively influential genetic basis of human
behavior, whereas others voice loud protests against the view that man of
all species should be victimized by the new genetics. These are the extremes,
of course, from a range with many intermediate positions.
If the issue interests you, for example, because you happen to be a student
of biology or biomedicine, we would like to ask you: "Which side would
you take?" Our teaching experience has us anticipate that answers come in
three kinds. First, you take sides with the opposition that militates against
the genetic determination of human behavior. Second, you take sides with
the defense. Third, you hope for a hung jury, since you know that both sides