Referring to the focus of the biosciences on molecular "particles" of the human biology, such as stem cells, genes, and neurons, this account examines the relationships between culture, society, and bioscientific research. Showing that the atomized body is indeed socially and culturally embedded, in plural and complex ways, it argues that biomedicine and biotechnology do not only intersect with the human body, but also reshape our perceptions of selfhood and life. From a multidisciplinary perspective, this volume explores the biosciences and the atomized body in their social, cultural, and philosophical contexts.

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. Moral accounting. Ethics and praxis in biomedical research
• 2. A molecular body in a digital society. From practical biosociality to online biosociality
• 3. Medical need, ethical scepticism. Clashing views on the use of fœtuses in Parkinson’s disease research
• 4. Ambivalent embodiment. Affective values and rationality
• 5. Interlacing the brain, contextualizing the body. Relational understandings in social neuroscience
• 6. Neuronal fantasies. Reading neuroscience with Schreber
• 7. The scan-portrait. Geographies and geometries of perception
• 8. Credibility and legitimacy. Challenges to interdisciplinary research
• Colour Plate
• About the Authors