Peace work

Some lessons from medicine and biology

Bibliographic Data

ID19503180
AuthorsKnut Holtedahl (UiT The Arctic University of Norway, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume25
Issue1
Pages65-77
Publication date2009-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedicine Conflict & Survival (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1362-3699 • E-ISSN: 1743-9396
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13623690802568970
PMID19413157
OpenAlexW1982440972
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited18

Medical peace work, or peace through health, is a new discipline in some universities, offered to students in health sciences as well as social science and the humanities. This article deals with some comparisons between conflict handling in medicine/biology and possible violence-reducing approaches in politics and in social science thinking. In biology, conflict and repair is normal and carries a potential for growth and development. It is neither necessary nor possible to eliminate conflict to prevent violence. However, biological defence is grounded on much more than simple killing of living organisms with competing interests. The great variation of species in nature can be seen as the successful result of an evolutionary process that does not necessarily promote hegemony of one species. Health systems and political systems claim a common aim, the welfare of the people. When medicine fails, this is often linked to aggressive methods aimed at short-term gains and the same kind of flawed reasoning sometimes decides international affairs

Engineering ethics · Environmental ethics · Epistemology · Hegemony · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Welfare · Health and Conflict Studies · Law