Three New Books on Hope, with Bioethical Reflection 
Benjamin Parviz, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO

Three newly published books about hope offer meaningful opportunities for bioethical reflection on the meaning and value of hope in medical contexts. Byung-chul Han is a philosopher whose recent book The Spirit of Hope considers the interaction of despair and hope in contexts of potentially paralyzing fear. Theologian Norman Wirzba’s book Love’s Braided Dance considers hope not as something that people have, but something that people do, an action that is born out of one’s commitment to care for one another and for the world. Jeffrey Bilbro is a literary scholar whose book Words for Conviviality considers the interaction of culture and technology and considers how to live critically and hopefully given our present techno-cultural epoch. This session will summarize and critically examine each of these books and will consider what each offers to bioethicists and medical professionals who are looking for hope in their work, for their patients, and for themselves.