Thursday 6 June 2013

1968 - 2007 Articles in The New York Times

Michael Crichton remained in contact with the publication that gave him a decisive push towards writing by publishing his teenage article Climbing Up A Cinder Cone back in 1959, and occasionally wrote articles for The New York times over a period of 20 years:

The New York Times
  • Life, Death and the Doctor (book review, 1968)
  • A Scientist Can Always Say No to Secrecy (1971)
  • Listerine and Other Methods (book review, 1978)
  • Time for Tough Talk in the Land of the Setting Sun (1992)
  • This Essay Breaks the Law (2006)
  • Patenting Life (2007)
  • Where Does It Hurt (book review, 2007)

One can already see an overarching theme in these articles that mirrors the concerns about the relationship of humans with science and technology, including in the latter the practicioners of medicine. Michael Crichton reveals himself in these articles as an advocate of the human being in front of the uses and abuses of science and technology, calling for the need to make scientists and drivers of technology accountable to society like everyone else. This is still today a relevant topic that is far from settled. It is interesting to see that the debate has accompanied the advancement of science and technology in similar terms for so many years.

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