Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver: Honoring the Work of Leon R. Kass [Paperback]

This book is a liberal education in itself. The friends and students of Leon Kass have written engagingly and searchingly about literature, politics, science, philosophy, and God in the generous, humane, and dignified spirit of their philosopher-physician-scientist mentor. Each and every chapter is a gem; my compliments to the editors for paying such meticulous attention to detail and form.I don't know that any worldly honor is sufficiently lofty to do justice to the intellectual achievements and public contributions of Leon Kass. If one comes close, however, surely it is this splendid collection of essays by his admirers, associates, and former students. Readers who, like Dr. Kass himself, are true philosopherslovers of wisdomwill find in this volume much to love.A spectacular achievement. Leon Kasss students and friends have done him, and themselves, proud. The consistently high quality of these diverse essayssome of them virtual apples of gold themselvesmakes this volume a fitting tribute to a stellar thinker and gifted teacher.For more than forty years Leon R. Kass has been a prolific and distinguished writer, an outstanding teacher of the humanities, and a wise interpreter of the moral implications of modern science. In Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver, fifteen of his colleagues, students, and friends celebrate his life's work with a collection of essays on themes and issues that have been of central concern to his scholarship.Leon R. Kass has been helping Americans better understand the human condition for over four decadesas a teacher, writer, scholar, public champion of the humanities, and defender of human dignity. From bioethics to civic education, from interpreting the Bible to weighing the moral implications of modern science, Kass has offered wisdom, guidance, and instruction. In this volume, fifteen of Kass's admirers, including students, colleagues, and friends, honor his work by reflecting on the broad range of subjects to which he has devoló"