Narratives have always played a prominent role in both bioethics and medicine; the fields have attracted much storytelling, ranging from great literature to humbler stories of sickness and personal histories. And all bioethicists work with cases--from court cases that shape policy matters to case studies that chronicle sickness. But how useful are these various narratives for sorting out moral matters? What kind of ethical work can stories do--and what are the limits to this work? The new essays in Stories and Their Limits offer insightful reflections on the relationship between narratives and ethics.

About the Author

Hilde Lindemann Nelson is Director of the Center for Applied and Professional Ethics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She is the co-author of The Patientin the Family (Routledge 1995) and Alzeimer's: Answers toHard Questions for Families (1996) and editor of Feminismand Families (Routledge 1997). She is also the co-editor of the Reflective Bioethics series.

Reviews

".a valuable collection.from distinguished philosophers who specialize in biomedical ethics." -- Ethics
"This collection is very illuminating, providing a rigorous methadological look at what narrative knowledge and literary skillfulness add to medical understanding and practiceReligious Studies Review."
"Stories and Their Limits should be required reading notonly for those working in the field of bioethics, but foranyone concerned with ethics in its philosophical ortheological mode." -- Stanley Hauerwas, Duke University

Book Information
ISBN 9780415919104
Author Hilde Lindemann Nelson
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 570g