Harold Berman discusses the function of the law in countries with totalitarian governments. He describes the origins of the legal system in Russia and the Soviet Union, and similarities between the Soviet legal code and European and American legal systems. He talks about the influence of secret police and other oppressive state apparatus in the Soviet Union.
In the second segment [12:00], Thomas Ballantine, William Bennett, John Curnutte, Allen Dyer, and Chase Peterson continue their discussion of medicine and medical ethics in part 5 of a series. Topics include the danger of complacency about medical ethics; the value of apprenticeships to students; and how medical schools try to weed out students who may be ethically troubled in their future practice. The panelists talk about the reality of finite resources in medical care and the costs of keeping up with advances in technology. John Agresto joins the conversation.
At the time of this interview, Berman, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1979-80), was professor of law at Harvard University.
Ballantine was professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. Bennett was chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Curnutte was a research fellow in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and the Sidney Farber Cancer Institute. Dyer, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1981-82), was professor of psychiatry at Duke Medical Center. Peterson was vice president for health sciences at the University of Utah. Agresto, a Fellow at the National Humanities Center (1978-79), was special programs officer at the Center.
This edition of Soundings was conducted by Wayne J. Pond.
