A scientist becomes an intellectual when he can connect his scientific knowledge with public discourse and the functioning of civil society. Dimitris Linos approaches this exercise with three seemingly contradictory yet converging roles. He is simultaneously an academically established practicing surgeon with high specialization and extensive experience, who moves with equal ease in both the Greek and American academic environments; an active citizen concerned with major public issues such as health and education, possessing the broad perspective of a global citizen; and a faithful Christian who feels the need not only to confess his faith but also to enter the inner workings of the veil to serve as a cleric, without losing his secular sensitivities, particularly his pluralistic and open worldview.

The synthesis is difficult and the balance is delicate, as each aspect of this multifaceted individual is judged by a different audience, usually in different contexts. Now all possible audiences are called upon to take into account all the dimensions and nuances of a public discourse that explicitly operates on many levels simultaneously. However, the author of the texts that constitute this volume always warns the reader about his concurrent roles. It is therefore left to the reader to perceive and judge.