Chicago Humanities Festival | Science & Technology

Lecture

Hypochondria is not an illness that simply affects a particular type of person. It comes into being when a patient believes she has a serious disease but the doctor can find no evidence of it. This absence of proof leads to a tension between medical practitioner and patient and brings a series of questions into sharp relief: How do we know our own bodies? What can medicine tell us about our corporeal and mental selves? And what are the limits of medicine? These complexities and anxieties, both real and imagined, are at the heart of this conversation with Catherine Belling, assistant professor of medical humanities and bioethics at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. Belling studies anxieties about medicine in contemporary culture and is currently working on a book titled Reading Hypochondria.

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#400: Sun, Nov. 7 10:00 - 11:00 AM

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Known as "America's most outrageous climber," Timmy O'Neill has set international speed climbing records, kayaked the entire length of the Grand Canyon seven times, and enjoys climbing urban buildings without ropes. Best known for his quick wit and irreverent humor, he travels the world giving outdoor-oriented comedy routines. O'Neill is co-founder of Paradox Sports, a non-profit organization which seeks to integrate the disabled population into outdoor recreation.