Cancer: A Case Study
In our final class, I used a cancer case history as a means of drawing together various topics from the units of Biochemistry for Citizens. I hope that this class helped you to realize that you are now better equipped to deal with such a complex scientific subject than you would have been when you came to the first class. In addition, the subject itself—cancer—easily holds our attention. By the time your reach the age of eligibility for OLLI membership, you have probably had come kind of encounter, first-hand or second, with this almost inescapable feature of all animal life.
Recall from the Reflection "Bringing Science to the Public" that many scientists of today and past times have considered it vital to inform non-scientists of progress in the fields that they know best. As a result, the shelves, physical or digital, of booksellers are crammed with books that can inform you on any scientific subject that captures your interest. I hope you will now feel more comfortable browsing those shelves for things that might interest you, and especially, for books on topics you want to know better in order to act or vote on medical, environmental, or social issues of current concern.
In my final comments, I mentioned the reflection, "Science, Religion, and Belief," and I emphasized that science gives us no support for the notion that our universe is aware of us, or singles any of us out for praise or punishment. This means that Alice, if she subscribes to this philosophy, has no reason to be troubled by questions such as, "Why did this happen to me?", or "Why did I deserve to survive this frightening and exhausting experience while others do not?" For the things that happen to us in the physical world, according to the analysis of the Realms of Belief table, there might be definable causes and effects, but no reasons. It is in other realms of belief—spiritual, moral, or other ones not included in that Reflection—that we might find other kinds of comfort when life tries our endurance or patience. The analysis contained in Science, Religion, and Belief provides no basis for eroding or demeaning any sources of comfort that do not fly in the face of what rationality tells us is true about our physical world.
Thank you!
Thank you very much for taking this class, for sharing your varied backgrounds and viewpoints in discussions, and for asking many insightful questions, many of which were useful in helping me to adjust the content and level of each class.
