Health and Medical News and Resources

General interest items edited by Janice Flahiff

Counterbalance Interactive Library provides views on complex issues

The Counterbalance Interactive Library*** offers  new views on complex issues from science, ethics, philosophy, and religion. Here you’ll find extensive resources on the evolution/creation controversy, biomedical ethical challenges, and much more.

A sampling of health and medical related topic sets

From the About page

About Counterbalance Foundation

Counterbalance is a non-profit educational organization working to promote counterbalanced perspectives on complex issues.  It is our hope that individuals, the academic community, and society as a whole will benefit from a struggle toward integrated and counterbalanced views.

Counterbalance provides design, consulting, and technical services. It is our intention to use our considerable experience in these areas to serve as a catalyst by.

  • Helping make existing multidisciplinary research work accessible to a wider audience, principally though the use of interactive technologies.
  • Helping collaboration within, and among research groups by providing on-line technology services, such as the shared Meta-Library andAutoReference tools.

Our services are used by PBS Online, The Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences, the AAAS, Science and Religion Forum (UK), and others.

Counterbalance is funded by donations and the Adrian M. Wyard Charitable Trust.
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April 18, 2011 Posted by | Educational Resources (High School/Early College(, Librarian Resources | , , , , , | Leave a comment

What The World Needs Now? More Wisdom

What The World Needs Now? More Wisdom

From the April 6 2011 Medical News Today article

Revolution in Libya. Revolution in Egypt. Revolution in Tunisia. The Middle East and North Africa face unprecedented change as dictatorships crumble and people clamor for democracy.

Yet it remains unclear whether these nations will experience more equity under new regimes. The reshaping of societies raises fundamental questions that require monumental thought. “What the world needs now, especially in these times, is more wisdom,” observes Dolores Pushkar, a professor in Concordia’s Department of Psychology and member of the Centre for Research in Human Development.

While all nations need wise leaders, the Middle East and North Africa require sensible leaders with fresh outlooks who are in antithesis to self-serving dictators of the past. “Since wisdom is defined as something that benefits society as a whole as well as the self,” continues Pushkar.

Human wellbeing and life satisfaction

Current events are on Pushkar’s mind, since the bulk of her research has focused on human wellbeing and life satisfaction. And she’s found wisdom plays a central role in both. “Wisdom and intelligence aren’t the same thing,” she points out, estimating that only 5 percent of the population can be described as truly wise and that advanced insight begins after adolescence as the brain matures.

Pushkar recently coauthored an overview on the topic, What Philosophers Say Compared with What Psychologists Find in Discerning Values: How Wise People Interpret Life [article full text]. Her coauthors include Andrew Burr, Sarah Etezadi and Tracy Lyster of the Concordia Department of Psychology and Sheila Mason of the Department of Philosophy….

…No single definition of wisdom exists, but hallmarks include knowledge, deep understanding of human nature, life contentment, empathy and the flexibility to see issues from others’ perspectives. “Wise people can see the positive side of a negative situation,” says Etezadi, adding the wise are open to new avenues. “A practical aspect of wisdom is how it translates to street smarts.”

Injustice can prevent people from garnering wisdom

Yet studies have shown that overwhelming and prolonged stress, in cases such as genocide or soul-crushing child abuse, are injustices that can prevent people from garnering wisdom. “The more overwhelming the stress, the greater its magnitude, the less likely people are to develop wisdom from the experience,” says Pushkar, citing research from peers undertaken after major calamities and wars. “Chronic adversity can destroy wisdom.”

Pushkar stresses that wise people often espouse common sense – but what makes them smarter than most is how they actually follow their own advice. And contrary to popular notions, gender does not influence wisdom. “For centuries, males had access to education and that’s how the stereotype of the wise old man came to be,” says Etezadi.

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April 6, 2011 Posted by | Public Health | , , , | 1 Comment

   

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