Being Human: Core Readings in the Humanities [Paperback]

Leon Kass (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0393926397 | ISBN-13: 978-0393926392 | Publication Date: August 17, 2004 | Edition: 1

Being Human is the first humanities reader that focuses on humanity in the literal sense—what it’s like to be human.

The Norton Edition of this widely praised collection brings the best writings in the humanities to a college audience. Each chapter presents a question or topic central to the human experience, among them "The Search for Perfection," "Are We Our Bodies?," "Vulnerability and Suffering," and "Human Dignity." To guide students as they read these influential works, every selection is prefaced by a concise headnote and thoughtful discussion questions.

How shall we promote and protect human flourishing in a world of ever-emerging technologies? At what point should we limit our quest for physical and mental perfection? Drawing on the insights of great thinkers throughout the ages, Being Human: Core Readings in the Humanities can help give readers a solid understanding of what it means to be human, both in the past and into the future. College courses, from Humanities to Bioethics to Freshman Composition, will benefit from this important collection.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A compelling portrait of what it means to be human: what it means to long for perfection... -- Edward Rothstein, The New York Times

About the Author

Leon R. Kass, M.D., Ph.D., is the Addie Clark Harding Professor in the Committee on Social Thought and the College at the University of Chicago (on leave of absence) and Hertog Fellow in Social Thought at the American Enterprise Institute. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed Dr. Kass chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics. His widely reprinted essays in biomedical ethics have dealt with issues raised by in vitro fertilization, cloning, genetic screening and genetic technology, organ transplantation, aging research, euthanasia and assisted suicide, and the moral nature of the medical profession.

Product Details

• Paperback: 628 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (August 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393926397
• ISBN-13: 978-0393926392
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #80,359 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this Book, June 11, 2007

By 

Parijata Mackey (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Being Human: Core Readings in the Humanities (Paperback)

Everyone interested in the philosophy of science, psychology, or what it means to be human should read this book. Written to guide the President's Council on Bioethics through the intense ethical dilemmas presented by biotechnology, from life-extension to genetic enhancement, these excerpts of literature were selected to provide material for reflection and guidance for those who will have the power to change what it means to be human.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Classroom Tool, August 21, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Being Human: Core Readings in the Humanities (Paperback)

I use this book as a textbook for a philosophy class and a general humanities class. It is neatly organized and the readings are manageable. This is not a book I would read cover-to-cover, although you certainly could. The book is organized around three core sections and then subdivided into more specific themes. The main sections are Natural Imperfection and Human Longing, The Human Being and the Life Cycle, and Living Well. There is a great cross section of literature including, poetry, short stories, essays, and excerpts from novels and plays such as War and Peace, King Lear, Buddenbrooks, Anna Karenina, Peter Pan and Tuck Everlasting. Each selection is preceeded by commentary and study questions by the editor, Dr. Leon Kass. The book was put together by a committee of doctors appointed by President GW Bush and focuses on biomedical ethical questions. It would be useful for any medical student or anyone interested in exploring just what being a human being means.

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is a really neat book., March 3, 2008

By 

Kim Jesser "Wonder Peach" (Rome, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Being Human: Core Readings in the Humanities (Paperback)

I bought it for a class... so I guess it's a textbook...

But it's full of great excepts from literature on the subject of life. I like to pick it up sometimes and just read random parts of it. Poems, short stories, long stories, etc. One of my most interesting textbooks and I like it. A good thing to have on one's shelf if they occasionally want to read a small aount of really powerful philosophy on life, but don't want to read Socrates or Aristotle. Just good normal literature... :)