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In 1989 Michael Bishop and Harold Varmus were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery that normal genes under certain conditions can cause cancer. In this book, Bishop tells us how he and Varmus made their momentous discovery. More than a lively account of the making of a brilliant scientist, How to Win the Nobel Prize is also a broader narrative combining two major and intertwined strands of medical history: the long and ongoing struggles to control infectious diseases and to find and attack the causes of cancer.

Alongside his own story, that of a youthful humanist evolving into an ambivalent medical student, an accidental microbiologist, and finally a world-class researcher, Bishop gives us a fast-paced and engrossing tale of the microbe hunters. It is a narrative enlivened by vivid anecdotes about our deadliest microbial enemies--the Black Death, cholera, syphilis, tuberculosis, malaria, smallpox, HIV--and by biographical sketches of the scientists who led the fight against these scourges.

Bishop then provides an introduction for nonscientists to the molecular underpinnings of cancer and concludes with an analysis of many of today's most important science-related controversies--ranging from stem cell research to the attack on evolution to scientific misconduct. How to Win the Nobel Prize affords us the pleasure of hearing about science from a brilliant practitioner who is a humanist at heart. Bishop's perspective will be valued by anyone interested in biomedical research and in the past, present, and future of the battle against cancer.

Customer Reviews (1)

Noble Work
This is, of course, not a how-to on winning the Nobel Prize.Rather it is Bishop's personal account of what happened when he won the Nobel Prize in "physiology or medicine" in 1989.This is told in a rather light-hearted, self deprecating way that is at once amusing and informative--he provides plenty of background on the prize itself, as well as the logistics of the ceremony of the presentation.

Actually the book is something of a grab-bag of topics.It is partly autobiographical, partly historical accounts of cancer research, and partly a commentary on the issues of the public's perception and misperceptions on science and society. And partly about the discovery that he and Harold Varmus made--the first oncogene.

Although I much enjoyed the other parts, it was to learn something of the discovery itself that brought me to buy the book.And here I must say I was a little disappointed.Basically, they found that one of the four genes carried by the Rous sarcoma virus is also found in the dna of many species of animals, including man.In fact it is found in normal cells, as well as those that are cancerous, and is expressed in both.I found this all a bit confusing.Is it the over-expression of the SRC gene responsible for some cancers, or is it a damaged form of the gene that is responsible?Is it an oncogene or a proto-oncogene?What does it do?

The current paradigm for cancer causation is that one of a few oncogenes and/or tumor supressor genes malfunction to give rise to cancer.I had hoped for a clearer statement of this rather dogmatic idea, and perhaps even some pros and cons for it.What makes a gene qualify for oncogene status?This is never made clear.What has become of SRC?What has been found out in the 30 years since the discovery?Has anyone ever seen a cancer in which only the supposed oncogene is different from that seen in the normal cell?I don't think so.

An opposing theory to this is that the fundamental event in cancer is aneuploidy:the cancer cell contains an abnormal number of chromosomes, thereby over-expressing some thousands of genes at once.Surprisingly, Bishop does not mention this alternative at all.Maybe the oncogene hypothesis is just plain wrong after all.And Peter Duesberg's paradigm is closer to the truth.

Bishop's last chapter covers some of the public controversies:stem cells and cloning, genetic testing and evolution.He gives us his two cents worth on all of them, and I can't help but think he is right on most of what he says.He's got a lot of common sense, and expresses it pretty well. ... Read more

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Bishop and Trout here present a unique and provocative new approach to epistemology (the theory of human knowledge and reasoning). Their approach aims to liberate epistemology from the scholastic debates of standard analytic epistemology, and treat it as a branch of the philosophy of science. The approach is novel in its use of cost-benefit analysis to guide people facing real reasoning problems and in its framework for resolving normative disputes in psychology. Based on empirical data, Bishop and Trout show how people can improve their reasoning by relying on Statistical Prediction Rules (SPRs). They then develop and articulate the positive core of the book. Their view, Strategic Reliabilism, claims that epistemic excellence consists in the efficient allocation of cognitive resources to reliable reasoning strategies, applied to significant problems. The last third of the book develops the implications of this view for standard analytic epistemology; for resolving normative disputes in psychology; and for offering practical, concrete advice on how this theory can improve real people's reasoning. This is a truly distinctive and controversial work that spans many disciplines and will speak to an unusually diverse group, including people in epistemology, philosophy of science, decision theory, cognitive and clinical psychology, and ethics and public policy.

"All of this material is fresh, original and exciting.It might even be right!But right or wrong, I think it is a safe bet that it will attract a great deal of attention, and that Bishop & Trout will be recognized as two of the most interesting and innovative people working in the area where philosophy of science, epistemology and empirical psychology come together." —Stephen Stich, Professor of Philosophy, Rutgers University

"Bishop and Trout have written a wonderful book.  Their goal is nothing less than a radical reorientation of contemporary epistemology.  Rejecting the analytic enterprise of explicating our concepts of justification and knowledge, they instead seek a return to an epistemology which would provide rules for the direction of the mind.  Empirically informed and philosophically sophisticated, this is a lively and challenging book." —Hilary Kornblith, Professor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

"This is a brilliant and useful essay integrating theoretical philosophy and empirical psychology to the benefit of both disciplines.  The essay is a paradigm example of how a philosophical perspective can bring order and new insights into scientific practice.  The authors are perhaps uniquely suited to the task as they are both academic philosophers and practicing behavioral scientists.  The book led me to reorganize my understanding of research on judgment and decision making and its implications.… And, best of all, it was fun to read." —Reid Hastie, Professor of Behavioral Science, University of Chicago

"This book should be read by anyone interested in the foibles and fallibility of human reasoning, and in how an empirically informed view of human knowledge and understanding may help yield not only good philosophy, but also improved policy, better thinking and greater well being."—Eldar Shafir, Professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, Princeton University ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Epistemic Solutions and Wishes
This effort is a good offering for naturalistic epistemology as it wishes for the impossible (reasonable and practical modern epistemic outlook). Bishop & Trout begs the moral question as they assert that improper reasoning leads to bad results forasmuch as "bad" presupposes a standard that the authors, as naturalists, cannot provide. Epistemic tests to determine good or bad presuppose a fixed moral ground.
They offer fine critical judgments on a variety of epistemic approaches and if one doesn't guard one's pre-commitments too closely, one will be converted to their view.
This is an enjoyable read, even for non-philosophers, and it will expand anyone's epistemic horizons even if one disagrees with their rational (empirical) approach.

Long Overdue
An extremely good book that describes what epistemology could be, as compared with the tedious academic exercise it has unfortunately become. As it stands, if traditional epistemology disappeared tomorrow, nobody outside of its small group of practitioners would notice or care.

Bishop & Trout's argument for a reorientation of epistemology is based in the "Aristotelian Principle" that in the long run, poor reasoning tends to lead to worse outcomes than good reasoning. That simple assertion licenses empirical testing of the relative goodness of competing reasoning strategies. It is also "a necessary precondition for the practical relevance of epistemology," because if better reasoning doesn't lead to better outcomes than bad reasoning does, then it wouldn't matter how we arrive at our beliefs, and epistemology in any form would be a pointless enterprise.

Reliabilism is the theory of epistemology that holds a belief to be justified if it results from some process of demonstrated reliability, one that has been shown to yield true beliefs. The purpose of this book is to make the case for something the authors call Strategic Reliabilism. SR is an epistemological theory that defines epistemic excellence as (1) efficient allocation of cognitive (reasoning, problem-solving) resources (2) to robustly reliable strategies, (3) applied to significant problems.

The goal is a more prescriptive, reason-guided epistemology, relevant to problem solving in the real world by offering practical recommendations about how to reason better and thus achieve better outcomes. It would be based in empirical research on the limitations and foibles of human reasoning and how to avoid or compensate for them. Strategic Reliabilism is not a theory of justification; its focus is on comparing reasoning strategies to identify the better ones so they can be used instead of ones that are less good. The importance of this effort can be seen in the enormous costs connected with poor reasoning. A patient with a positive result on a diagnostic test for cancer or AIDs needs good information about the likelihood that he actually has the disease. In fact, one study showed that only 18% of faculty and staff at Harvard Medical School were able to reason to the correct interpretation of a positive diagnostic test; the average estimated likelihood was 28 times too high.

"Ameliorative Psychology" is Bishop & Trout's term for the empirical discipline that searches for better reasoning strategies and, from the results of empirical tests, makes normative recommendations about how to reason better. The specific techniques described that have so far been found to improve reasoning include: Statistical Prediction Rules; thinking in terms of frequencies vs. probabilities in Bayesian problems; and recognition of common sources of bias and error (overconfidence, the interview effect, the generalized attribution error, lack of comparison in causal attribution, regression effects, leaping to plausible but ungrounded causal fictions for rare events). The many examples of these common problems in reasoning are highly interesting and troubling, especially as they show up in professionals who you assume would know better.

Traditional epistemology (referred to SAE: Standard Analytic Epistemology) emphasizes knowledge defined as justified true belief. But it provides no guidance about how to arrive at that worthy goal. SAE emphasizes a priori intuition as the method of evaluating clever examples involving strange hypothetical situations. B&T argue that these word games make little contact with real-world problems, that such intuitions are not, in fact, a priori, and that there is no evidence that the intuitions of philosophers produce trustworthy judgments about epistemic matters. SAE has failed to deliver.

This is a terrific book, one that offers a meaningful future for epistemology, joining it with scientific psychology to create a specialty with something of real value to offer the world. Whether it will be received that way by philosophers is another question entirely, although one can always dream.

Great book!
Great book! I am what the authors call a "Standard Analytic Epistemologist", and I'm finding it hard to escape their arguments. The book is intelligent, fair, and beautifully written. It is also funnier than most philosophy books (not very hard to do, I know). Epistemology and the Psychology of Human Judgment is not written to preach to those already converted to naturalism. Rather, it is an honest experiment in naturalism, in all of its multi-disciplinary splendor. In developing their version of naturalistic epistemology - called strategic reliabilism -- they expose contemporary epistemology for the insular field that it is. Highly recommended. ... Read more

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The author of this book is of no great importance—only its message, which speaks honestly and candidly of a time that must never be forgotten.

This book has been written for those who died in 'Nam and also for those who survived, if only to experience another kind of dying. Returning home with the scars of battle safely concealed in their minds and hearts, many became peacetime casualties, accelerating the death toll far beyond what has been recorded on The Wall in Washington D.C.

These walking wounded who, like the author, have suffered with the debilitating after affects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), all have their own stories to tell. Every one recorded here is true. Only the names have been changed to ensure their much needed privacy.

So great they were, these comrades in arms—all scattered now, with their bad memories and haunted lives. Having survived 'Nam, they returned to fight the hardest battle of all, a battle for sanity and peace, in a world that did not understand the nature of their pain.

“On that same night, I will pass through Egypt and strike down every first born, both men and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the Gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.

“The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague wil touch you when I strike Egypt.?Exodus 12:12, 13 NIV)

Author's Note: And the people obeyed God. They killed the lamb and spread the blood on the door posts and went inside, and when the Death Angel came through the city, all were spared who were in that place, for the angel had passed over them.

I too am a first born, and while being battle-scarred, wounded, and near death, I was passed over by the Angel of Death. Was it because of the blood that had already been shed as a sacrifice, or was it simply not my time? For years I have wondered, why was I spared? Perhaps for this time, and this book. Perhaps. MJB ... Read more

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WAKE UP
This book should be required reading for all active military personnel,families, Viet Nam veterans and their families.The book has the ANSWER toall of our problems, both past and present.As a Viet Nam vet, this bookaddressed my hidden problems that I have been denying.Life is better forme now.All vets need to experience this awakening.MUST READ

Micheal J. Bishop Death Angel
This story tells the true horrors that these young men have gone through and still go through even after the war. The fact of the matter within the book is the story of one mans struggles with life before, during, and afterthe war. If only the real story of the life of a war VET was easy. Howeverthe war is never over in there minds.Maybe some day he will find thepeace that he needs to live a so called normal life. This book had me onthe edge of my seat I couldn't put it down.

A chilling yet sympathetic tale
One probably still can't imagine what it was like to serve time in VietNam even after all the high budget Hollywood attempts to bring some understanding of that war home. Mr. Bishop brings us closer however than any war movie could with his brief yet poignant memoir of his time "InCountry" He states early on he is not a writer but this serves himwell as his emotions ring true and heartfelt. One hopes this book providesthe author the catharsis he seeks as well as for any Vets who read it whostruggle to this day with their service to their country. I heartilyrecommend it. ... Read more

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University of California, San Francisco.Text on the molecular basis of cancer, for practitioners and residents. Covers etiology, biochemical mechanisms of cancer, molecular pathogenesis, and more. 11 contributors, 10 U.S. DNLM: Neoplasm - etiology. ... Read more

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This is the official journal of proceedings of the 2009 session of the Indiana Conference meeting in Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. ... Read more

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Take a break from the fast pace of the holiday season and enter a sacred space of joyful anticipation and celebration as you embrace the coming of Christ throughout the holy season and beyond.

Too often within our society, the celebration of Christmas is over just as it is beginning. Experience the richness of Christ's love and goodness throughout the Christmas season and beyond. Christmas Joy guides you with daily devotional readings and ideas as you continue to celebrate the light that has come into the world through Christ. ... Read more

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With firm roots in antiquarianism, archaeology began as the study and collection of things. Even today objects take center stage in many areas of archaeological inquiry. But the past few decades have seen a proliferation of the ways anthropological archaeologists analyze raw materials, tools, techniques, finished products, and discarded objects. MATERIAL MEANINGS examines current approaches to material culture in the archaeological record from three perspectives: ethnoarchaeology and technological traditions; materials science; and theoretical approaches to materiality. The focus of this book is not on artifacts themselves but on the social context in which things are produced and in which they are given meaning; the technical choices of an artifact producer within a larger technical system; and their interpretation by modern researchers.The chapters represent a broad range of theoretical perspectives, methods, and data sets. Several chapters consider methodological issues in reconstructing technical systems. Most contributions, however, apply this understanding to larger questions of social identity and ethnicity, emphasizing historical context or models of cultural process. ... Read more

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Very useful
I used this book in my Ph. D. dissertation.I only used one paper from it, but the rest were also very interesting. ... Read more

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Pages 483-817 ... Read more

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As the population ages, issues and challenges are emerging for elder care providers. This manual has been designed to take an in-depth look at planning for the elderly. ... Read more