RAYMOND TALLIS

Poet, philosopher, novelist and former physician, Raymond Tallis is one of the worlds foremost scientific philosophers. In this book, he brings together his diverse intellectual interests to address profoundly important questions about our well being. Hippocratic Oaths blends philosophy with public opinion, polemic and personal experience to bridge the disjunction between the health care we believe we are entitled to expect, and the difficult realities of what is possible.In a series of fiercely stimulating and impassioned arguments, Tallis looks at the truth behind public health scares; why we continue to incorrectly treat our bodies as if they were machines, separate from ourselves; and why the popularity of alternative therapies is bad for doctors and patients alike.Hippocratic Oaths is the summation of a lifetimes thought and medical practice, by one of the most singular stars in the British scientific firmament. It will, quite simply, change forever the way you think about yourself, and your health.

In this beautifully written personal meditation on life and living, Raymond Tallis reflects on the fundamental fact of existence: that it is finite. Inspired by E. M. Forsters thought that Death destroys a man but the idea of it saves him, Tallis invites readers to look back on their lives from a unique standpoint: ones own future corpse. From this perspective, he shows, the world now vacated can be seen most clearly in all its richness and complexity.Blending lyrical reflection, humour and the occasional philosophical argument, Tallis explores his own post-mortem recollection and invites us to appreciate anew the precariousness and preciousness of life.

From the act of blushing and the amount of manganese in our tears (tears of pain contain more than tears of distress) to the curiousness of a kiss, The Kingdom of Infinite Space explores the astonishing range of activities that go on inside our heads, most of which are entirely beyond our control. After escorting his readers on a fantastic voyage through every chamber of the head and brain, Raymond Tallis demonstrates that not only does consciousness not reside between our ears, but that our heads are infinitely cleverer than we are.

From the act of blushing and the amount of manganese in our tears (tears of pain contain more than tears of distress) to the curiousness of a kiss, The Kingdom of Infinite Space explores the astonishing range of activities that go on inside our heads, most of which are entirely beyond our control. After escorting his readers on a fantastic voyage through every chamber of the head and brain, Raymond Tallis demonstrates that not only does consciousness not reside between our ears, but that our heads are infinitely cleverer than we are.

Raymond Tallis is a renowned polymath: he was listed by the Independent in 2007 as one of fifty Brains of Britain and in 2004 Prospect magazine voted him one of Britains top public intellectual.In this startlingly original and persuasive book, Raymond Tallis shows that it is easy to underestimate the influence of small things in determining what manner of creatures humans are. He reveals that over time the repeated and multiple effects of the seemingly insignificant can make an enormous difference and argues that the independent movement of the human index finger is one such easily overlooked factor. Indeed, not for nothing is the index finger called the forefinger. It is the one we most naturally deploy when we want to winkle things out of small spaces, but it plays a far more significant role in an action unique to us among primates: pointing.In Michelangelos Finger, Raymond Tallis argues that it is through pointing that the index finger made a significant contribution to hominid development and to the creation of a human world separate to the rest of the natural world. Observing the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the hugely familiar and awkward encounter between Michelangelos God and Man through their index fingers, Tallis identifies an intuitive indication of the central role of the index finger in making us unique. Just as the reaching index fingers of God and Man are here made central to the creation of our kind, so Tallis believes that the simple act of pointing is central to our extraordinary evolution.

Brilliant polymath Raymond Tallis tackles the big questions: Do we have free will? Can humanity flourish without religion? Will science explain everything? In a fierce polemic Lord Howes Wicked Dream, Tallis exposes the corrupt politicians who are destroying the NHS and the values that have sustained it.

Since the time of the ancient Greeks, philosophers have pondered the nature and purpose of the arts, but artists have gone on making them and audiences enjoying them regardless of these musings. None of their theories have met with universal or even popular acceptance. But here is theory that places the artsall the artsfirmly and squarely within everyones everyday experiences.Summers of Discontent goes to the heart of the arts. Its an examination of why artists create them in the first place and why we all feel the need for them. Raymond Tallis thinks the arts spring from our inability as humans fully to experience our experiences; from our hunger for a more rounded, more complete sense of the world.Talliss thesis is original and fresh, down-to-earth and life-enhancing. Above all it is practical and intelligible. It will inspire anyone who feels the creative urge today, or anyone who wants to understand why and how the arts enrich their lives and those of others.Raymond Tallis is a leading academic doctor, poet, philosopher, and cultural critic. Author of more than twenty books, he was until his retirement professor of geriatric medicine at the University of Manchester.Julian Spalding was director, successively of Sheffield and Manchester Art Galleries, and latterly of the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow. He has written over a dozen books on art historical subjects and curated many exhibitions.