Peace work

Some lessons from medicine and biology

Dados Bibliográficos

ID19503180
AutoresKnut Holtedahl (UiT The Arctic University of Norway, autor correspondente)
Ano2009
Volume25
Fascículo1
Páginas65-77
Data de publicação2009-01-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessNão
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoMedicine Conflict & Survival (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1362-3699 • E-ISSN: 1743-9396
EditoraInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/13623690802568970
PMID19413157
OpenAlexW1982440972
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas1
Referências citadas18

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