Dellureficio, Anthony J. “On the Origin of Autonomy. A New Look at the Major Transitions in Evolution. History, Philosophy and Theory of the Life Sciences, Volume 5. By Bernd Rosslenbroich. New York: Springer. $129.00. xii+ 297 p.; ill.; author and subject indexes. ISBN.”
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Callahan arranges the autobiography primarily in chronologic order spanning his entire life. Throughout the work, he includes personal anecdotes that consistently tie his life and personal development to the development of bioethics. For example, as he remembers his childhood he notes the many times he puzzled over ethical choices made by physicians, realizing retrospectively that these influences remained with him throughout his career. As his life progresses, other factors, such as his education in philosophy, career in the military, and struggle with his Catholic faith, help him conceptualize a new interdisciplinary field growing out of medical ethics. Readers are frequently reminded that the modern conception of “bioethics” did not always exist and the certainty that this field would last was far from secure. In this way, Callahan’s autobiography can be viewed equally as a biography of the field of bioethics.