Daniel Callahan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Daniel Callahan
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| Born |
Daniel John Callahan
July 19, 1930 |
| Died | July 16, 2019 (aged 88) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Harvard University (Ph.D.) Georgetown University (M.A.) Yale University (B.A.) |
| Spouse(s) |
Sidney DeShazo
(m. 1954) |
| Children | 6 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Bioethics, philosophy, ethics, medical ethics, health policy |
Daniel John Callahan (born July 19, 1930 – died July 16, 2019) was an American thinker. He helped create a new field called bioethics. This field looks at tough questions about medicine and life. He co-founded The Hastings Center, which was the first place in the world to study bioethics. He led this center for many years and wrote many books.
Contents
Life and Work
Early Life and Learning
Daniel Callahan was born in Washington, D.C., on July 19, 1930.
When he was in high school, Callahan was a great swimmer. He chose to go to Yale University because of its strong swimming team. At Yale, he became interested in studying different subjects together. He graduated in 1952 with degrees in both English and Philosophy. Later, he earned a master's degree from Georgetown University in 1956. He then received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Harvard University in 1965.
A Voice in Catholic Thought
From 1961 to 1968, Callahan worked as an editor for Commonweal. This was a magazine that shared Catholic ideas and opinions. During this time, he became an important writer and thinker in Catholic groups. This was a period of big changes in the Catholic Church. One historian even called Callahan "perhaps the most influential Catholic layman of the 1960s."
Starting Bioethics
In 1969, Daniel Callahan teamed up with Willard Gaylin, a well-known psychiatrist. Together, they started The Hastings Center. This center was first called the Institute for Society, Ethics and the Life Sciences. It was located in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York.
The Hastings Center was the very first research group dedicated to bioethics. Bioethics is a field that studies the moral questions that come up in medicine, biology, and healthcare. The center helped this new field grow by bringing together experts. These experts came from different areas like medicine, law, science, and philosophy. Famous bioethicists, such as Arthur Caplan, started their careers at The Hastings Center. Callahan was the director of the center from when it began until 1996. During his time there, he wrote many articles and edited several books. These works covered important topics like decisions about life and death, and genetics.
Ideas on Healthcare
In 1987, Callahan published a book called Setting Limits: Medical Goals in an Aging Society. In this book, he suggested that society might need to think about how much money is spent on very expensive medical care for the very old. He argued that these costs were too high. He felt this money could be better used for other important needs, like education. He also talked about when it might be right to stop treatments that only extend life for a short time.
When the book came out, The New York Times Book Review said it was a very important work. It asked tough questions and offered new ideas. The book got a lot of attention and caused much discussion. Callahan later spoke about his ideas on healthcare across the United States and Europe.
He wrote more books on healthcare, aging, technology, and how we deal with death. Some of these books include What Kind of Life: The Limits of Medical Progress (1990) and The Troubled Dream of Life: In Search of a Peaceful Death (1993). In this last book, he talked about how people need to rely on each other. He believed that being a "burden" to others is a natural part of being human.
Awards and Honors
Daniel Callahan was recognized for his important work. He became an elected member of the Institute of Medicine. He was also part of the National Academy of Sciences. He served on important committees, like the Director's Advisory Committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 1996, he received the Freedom and Scientific Responsibility Award. This award came from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2008, he was given the Centennial Medal from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. He also spoke to Congress about important topics like stem cell research.
Published Works
Callahan wrote or edited 47 books during his career. He also wrote a book about his own life called In Search of the Good: A Life in Bioethics (2012). His articles appeared in many well-known newspapers and magazines. These included The New York Times, The Atlantic, and the New England Journal of Medicine.
Family Life
In 1954, Daniel Callahan married Sidney DeShazo. They had six children together, five boys and one girl. Their children include the writer and editor, David Callahan, and the filmmaker Peter Callahan.
