Self and the Phenomenon of Life

by Ramon Lim (Author)

The book describes a common ground between the biology of life and the humanity of life without compromising either discipline. It attempts to bridge the gap between our "two cultures" — the sciences and the humanities, as advocated by C P Snow fifty years ago. This book connects our meager existence to the entire living world and the universe, physically and spiritually, through the simple perspective of "self," being defined as a system that seeks its own perpetuation.

Ramon (Khe-Siong) Lim (born 5 Feb 1933), is Professor Emeritus of Neurology at the University of Iowa. After getting an M.D. degree (cum laude) in the Philippines (1958) and a Ph.D. degree in biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania (1966), he embarked on post-doctoral work at the University of Michigan, where he participated in research on the molecular basis of animal learning and memory. From 1969 to 1981, he was Assistant and Associate Professors at the University of Chicago, where he engaged in a research program on brain proteins and their effect on the maturation of brain cells. From 1981 till his retirement in 2005, he was Professor of Neurology and Director of the Division of Neurochemistry and Neurobiology at the University of Iowa, where he continued to research on brain proteins and brain cell differentiation, while also engaged in the care of neurologic patients. Lim is a member of seven professional societies related to biochemistry, molecular biology, neurochemistry, neurobiology, neuroscience, and neurology. His research has been funded by the US National Institute of Health and US National Science Foundation, and has resulted in over a hundred original publications in prestigious national and international scientific journals, including Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA). In addition, he contributed numerous articles to scientific books. His broad background in chemistry, biology, and basic and clinical neuroscience, along with a life-long interest in philosophical issues, provides him with a unique qualification to simultaneously deal with the two aspects of life (physico-biological and socio-humanistic) in a holistic sense, unified under the common theme of "self". Other than science, Lim is an award-winning artist and a wellknown literary writer. His non-scientific creations are collected in the bilingual book An Anthology of Literary and Artistic Works of Ramon Lim (published in 2008, ISBN 978-971-94113-0-7). While at the University of Iowa, Lim served as an adviser to the world-renowned International Writing Program.



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