The Human Person and Philosophy of Medicine: A Response to William A. Wallace

Abstract

Fr. Wallace has come out with both guns blazing. He has an extraordinary capacity for sketching the big picture. He did not fail us here. Setting out for himself the task of integrating ancient, medieval, and modern science as the basis for a new philosophy of human nature, he would undergird a modern Catholic medical morality. At one point in his essay he cautions that “one must know the history of science down to the present, and be able to evaluate it critically, to judge what has been transient and ephemeral and what will retain lasting importance for future ages” ([11], p. 25). I can think of no one better able to match these abilities in Catholic circles than Fr. Wallace. But he wisely cautions: “And the person who embarks on this enterprise must be prepared to be contradicted at every turn along the way” ([11], p. 25). This is, indeed, the case in any interdisciplinary and systematic effort like his.