[Textbook-l] Re: Textbooks

[Toby Bartels]

[The post that I'm replying to appeared on <wikiEN-L>.
Replies whould go to <textbook-L.>]

Anthere wrote in part:

>Maveric149 wrote:

>>Same thing is true for a section of a medical textbook on abortion ; we leave
>>out most of the history and the different political views on the subject and
>>just talk about the procedure itself and maybe have a single paragraph at the
>>end sating something about access to the procedure and that risks doctors
>>face when they choose to specialize in this area.

>There are some aspects, even of technical education,
>that require understanding of politics, that require
>ethical information. A book limiting itself to the
>pure technical gestures to apply is *bad*. Very bad.

>This is particularly true in the biological domain you
>cite. Teaching abortion just from the technical
>procedure is an error. If only because abortion is
>allowed in some places, not allowed in others, and
>this should be known. Also because an abortion is a
>terrible act for most women to undergo, and *no*
>doctor should know it only from the tech point of
>view. He should be aware of the psychological impact
>of such a gesture, if he wants to propose and to
>proceed with such an act with the physical and
>psychological consent of the mother-to-be. Also
>because he should be aware of all the limits to such
>an act from a religious point of view.

Medical ethics is important in medical education.
Thus any medical textbook should speak of (or refer to)
discussion of the ethical concerns of a controversial procedure.
Abortion definitely qualifies for this
(even though /I/ have no ethical concerns about it).

>Offering bare technical teaching is wrong.

>Similarly, in agriculture, it makes no sense to *just*
>understand how fertilization works, if you do not
>understand the pollution it creates, the CAP rules
>about N uses and the incentives. Just providing the
>tech info is just giving enough information for
>survival, not for thinking and making good decisions.

Similarly, the potential pollutive effects of agriculture
are necessary for any complete education in agriculture
(although I don't know if there's a professional history of this
as there is in the case of medicine).

These examples are not the same thing as creationism.


-- Toby