would steve jobs still be alive if he'd trusted medical science?

Artist Alex Wer's pumpkin-based tribute to Steve Jobs.

Ramzi Amri, of the Harvard Medical Faculty (department of surgical oncology) believes that the answer to this question is yes:

I have done 1.5 years of research on the type of tumor that affected Steve Jobs and have some strong opinions on his case, not only as an admirer of his work, but also as a cancer researcher who has the impression that his disease course has been far from optimal.

Let me cut to the chase: Mr. Jobs allegedly chose to undergo all sorts of alternative treatment options before opting for conventional medicine. This was, of course, a freedom he had all the rights to take, but given the circumstances it seems sound to assume that Mr. Jobs' choice for alternative medicine has eventually led to an unnecessary death.

He goes on to explain why in some detail - do take a look.

As David Brooks has pointed out, Jobs's worldview was formed at the intersection of very different cultures - Californian hippy spirituality, computer geekdom, and 1980s enterpreneurialism. Living that culture clash was part of what made him great. It also helps explain why somebody so brilliant and scientifically literate could put their faith in the unscientific, even at the risk of their own life.

Comments

[ogilvy]

Marb your post about Jobs is uncharacteristically simplistic. Contrasting 'scientific literacy' and 'unscientific' faith sounds like something out of the Republican debates, with no more intellectual heft than a sound bite. It seems to imply he killed himself because he didn't just follow mainstream AMA health solutions. I feel quite sure that Jobs considered everything he did quite thoroughly and critically, and that would include matters of health of both mind and body.
I suppose you must be one of the Generation X'ers who continue to label California boomers as all stoned idiots high on 'hippie spirituality,' but that's a painfully easy generalization to read from a smart fellow like yourself.

[Marbury]

Contrasting science with faith makes me sound Republican? Uh - this, I don't understand.

It may be that his superstitious attachment to non-scientific healing methods shortened his life. That's all. Maybe he knew that and was at ease with it. But it's interesting.

[AllenCarlos]

We can't understand why a brilliant man Steve jobs choose to take alternative medicine to cure his illness.