Journal article
The "Gift of Life" and its Reciprocation
Social research, Vol.39(3), pp.367-415
01 Oct 1972
Abstract
An attempt is made to draw certain lines of connection between some very ancient themes defining the human condition with reference to life & death, & some very immediate developments, with special reference to the orientations, functions & obligations of the contemporary Med profession. The primary theses are that the problem of the meaning of death has been coming more & more explicitly to the fore in the recent development of our culture, & that a major focus of this salience has been in the Med world. Secondly, new as these developments are, they are not understandable except in reference to the great religious tradition of our culture, esp as expressed in the major constitutive myths. The theme of gift-exchange between God & man is central to the analysis. In particular, the salience of the conception that human life is a gift from God is emphasized. An attempt is made to trace the evolution of the conception that the death of the individual, at the close of a full life, not only may be, but in fact often is, interpreted as a reciprocal gift to God, the consummatory reciprocation of the gift of life. The emergence of this interpretation, it is believed, has been enormously facilitated by Med control over the causes of an adventitious death. All of this has been occurring in the context of the development of a highly rationalized, technical, industr society. The involvement of the Med profession in the existential problems of the meaning of life & death, & at least its tentative movement in the direction of incorporating such a dimension seems to be a striking example of the intimate interweaving of the more rationalistic & the more existential components in the development of modern society & culture. Far from there being a necessity to choose between the sci'fic att toward illness & health, life & death, & a mystical orientation, ways have been shown in which a synthesis of these 2 aspects of modern culture may be possible. Modified Author's Summary.
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Details
- Title
- The "Gift of Life" and its Reciprocation
- Creators
- Talcott ParsonsRenee FoxVictor Lidz
- Publication Details
- Social research, Vol.39(3), pp.367-415
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychiatry; [Retired Faculty]
- Identifiers
- 991021895785304721