Background
Davis, Bernard David was born on January 7, 1916 in Franklin, Massachusetts, United States. Son of Harry and Tillie (Shain) Davis.
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Storm over Biology
(This book had its genesis in Dr. Davis' remarkable editor...)
This book had its genesis in Dr. Davis' remarkable editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine that sharply criticized medical schools for lowering their standards of admission to fill minority quotas and ultimately risking the lives of patients. Davis' position (widely held, but seldom articulated) is that the standard of medical care is an even higher ideal than the redress of past racial injustice. A passionate battle is now being fought in our universities over the freedom to pursue ideals of objectivity and intellectual freedom that are incompatible with the mandates of a pragmatic social policy. Storm Over Biology examines many of the areas where scientific and social interests intersect and often conflict, such as genetic engineering and sociobiology. The essays are grouped under six headings: Genetics, Racism and Affirmative Action; Objectivity and Science; Evolution - Sociobiology, Ethics, and Molecular Genetics; Medical Education and Affirmative Action; Public Concern Over Science; and Genetic Engineering. Though trained and best known as a microbiologist, Bernard D. Davis addresses these issues philosophically. He emphasizes both the limitations of science and its enormous power to shape and inextricably alter our lives.
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Storm over Biology by Davis, Bernard D. (1986) Hardcover
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Bernard David Davis
Edit ProfileEducation
Davis was born in Franklin, Massachusetts, where his parents, Jewish immigrants from Lithuania, had settled. (Davis himself was nonobservant, and "insisted on atheism") He was valedictorian at his high school, then attended Harvard University, where he majored in biochemistry. After earning his Bachelor of Science degree, he enrolled at Harvard Medical School, graduating in 1940 with a rare Doctor of Medicine, summa cum laude.
He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1958.
In a front-note to a posthumously published commentary that appeared in 2000, the major contributions of Davis to microbial physiology has been noted as, "the use of penicillin for the selection of auxotrophic mutants and his U-tube experiment to prove that bacterial conjugation required direct contact between the two bacterial strains.".
Career
Foreign the politician, see Bernard Davis (politician) Davis was a prominent figure at Harvard Medical School in microbiology and in national science policy. Davis coined the term "moralistic fallacy" after calls for ethical guidelines to control the study of what could allegedly become "dangerous knowledge." The term is intended as a converse to the naturalistic fallacy, coined by David Hume in the 18th century, which occurs when reasoning jumps from statements about what is to prescription about what ought to be. Sometimes a theory is rejected with a reference to the danger of misuse.
In doing so, one fails to differentiate sufficiently clearly between its epistemological value and its practical value, or between the moral, value-free knowledge and – in consideration of moral valuations – the potentially negative consequences of the knowledge.
From a perspective of scientific theory, the accuracy of a theory is relevant, not its practical value, its origin or history of use. Number theory is protected against misuse, nor can a theory be falsified by misuse.
Both misuse as well as renunciation of knowledge can have disadvantageous consequences. An example of the naturalistic fallacy would be approving of all wars if scientific evidence showed warfare was part of human nature, whereas an example of the moralistic fallacy would be claiming that, because warfare is wrong, it cannot be part of human nature.
On the current format of scientific writing, Davis had opined, "A scientific paper is an unusual art form.
lieutenant has to be as compact as possible, while giving the reader all the information needed to repeat the experiments. Because the literature is vast, the format of a paper is standardized so the reader can quickly find the parts that interest him. Readers skim most of the papers that they look at, except those very close to their interests.
The aim is efficient, impersonal transmission of the essentials, rather than a narrative account of the steps along the way.".
Achievements
Works
book
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Storm over Biology
(This book had its genesis in Dr. Davis' remarkable editor...)
- Storm over Biology by Davis, Bernard D. (1986) Hardcover
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Storm over Biology
Membership
Past trustee Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology. Member National Academy of Sciences (Waksman award 1989), American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Society Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, American Academy Arts and Sciences (vice president 1977-1979), Institute of Medicine, American Society Microbiology (Hoechst-Roussel award 1989), Society General Physiology (president 1964-1965), Harvey Society, Phi Beta Kappa, Sigma Xi, Alpha Omega Alpha.
Interests
Connections
Son of Harry and Tillie (Shain) D. M. Elizabeth Menzel, June 19, 1955. Children: Franklin A., Jonathan H., Katherine J.
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Born
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Died
January 14, 1994 (aged 78) -
Nationality
United States -
Religion
Atheist
Awards
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Recipient Waksman medal Society of America Bacteriologists, 1952. Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences fellow, 1973-1974. Fogarty scholar National Institutes of Health, 1988-1989.Recipient Waksman medal Society of America Bacteriologists, 1952. Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences fellow, 1973-1974. Fogarty scholar National Institutes of Health, 1988-1989.