Full development of personality under socialism is ensured by the further improvement of the socialist system and the rising cultural and material levels of the Soviet people. The author demonstrates that a new, integrated approach should be taken to the problem of human health in Soviet sociopolitical strategy: the concept of human health should embrace philosophical aspects together with findings of the natural and social sciences. The author looks at the wide range of social, philosophical, and methodological issues which should (...) be taken into account in order to remove the obstacles from the road towards purposeful control of human and social health. Keywords: concept of health, socialism, health care, Marxism-Leninism, USSR, bioethics CiteULike Connotea Del.icio.us What's this? (shrink)

The builders of our new society will concentrate their primary efforts and energy on the improvement of the economic system of socialism, the growth of the productive forces, and the intensification of scientific-technological progress. To what extent it will be possible to accelerate the pace along this unbeaten path will depend on success in mobilizing the vast reserves of the socialist economy.

Biology's advance to leading positions in modern science and its growing significance in human self-awareness have sharpened the need for further analysis of the methodological problems of the science of life and for a philosophical interpretation of its positions and results. These two tasks are closely connected, though each has its independent role to play as well. Whereas a study of the logical and methodological foundations of biology deepens scientific notions about the means, possibilities, and directions of science, a philosophical (...) interpretation of its results, aspirations, and prospects contributes to our understanding of man as a whole, and to the clarification of his manifested attributes and forms of existence. Hence, there is not only an "academic," but also an ideological interest in the problems of biology. The scientific conception of the world today is in many respects determined by an evolutionary view of development. The revolutionary significance of Darwinism is today acknowledged by champions of practically all philosophical theories with a claim to scientific status and objectivity. Naturalistic currents in Western philosophical and methodological thought have been the most active: in elucidating and demonstrating the role of Darwinist principles. (shrink)