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Hinduism and Bioethics in India: A Tradition in Transition

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Bioethics Yearbook

Part of the book series: Bioethics Yearbook ((BIYB,volume 1))

Abstract

There has hardly been a time in Indian history when the Indian tradition has not been in transition, except perhaps at the very beginning of Indian civilization. In coming face to face with the West, India may appear to be a culture wrapped in its past, possessed by religion, and aglow in its mystical tradition. But India speaks in many voices, and this polyphony makes it difficult to articulate a singular judgment. An evocative metaphor often employed to capture the spirit of the tradition is that of a palimpsest, an ancient parchment upon which generation after generation inscribe their messages layer upon layer, and yet no succeeding layer completely erases or hides what was previously written ([56], p. 59).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Illinois Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Prakash N. Desai

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Baruch A. Brody (Director)B. Andrew Lustig (Senior Editor for this Volume)H. Tristram Engelhardt Jr. Laurence B. McCullough Thomas J. Bole III

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Desai, P.N. (1991). Hinduism and Bioethics in India: A Tradition in Transition. In: Brody, B.A., Lustig, B.A., Engelhardt, H.T., McCullough, L.B., Bole, T.J. (eds) Bioethics Yearbook. Bioethics Yearbook, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3172-8_5

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