Human dignity in bioethics and law
By: Charles Foster
Publisher: Hart Pub.
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Oxford; Portland, Or
Language: eng
Number of pages: 183
ISBN-13: 9781849461771
Subjects: Human Rights; Dignity; Personhood; Bioethical Issues; Legislation & jurisprudence; Law and legislation; Bioethics; Respect for persons; Legislation as Topic
Description: "Dignity is often denounced as hopelessly amorphous or incurably theological: as feel-good philosophical window-dressing, or as the name given to whatever principles give you the answer that you think is right. This is wrong, says Charles Foster: dignity is not only an essential principle in bioethics and law; it is really the only principle. In this ambitious, paradigm-shattering but highly readable book, he argues that dignity is the only sustainable Theory of Everything in bioethics. For most problems in contemporary bioethics, existing principles such as autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice and professional probity can do a reasonably workmanlike job if they are all allowed to contribute appropriately. But these are second order principles, each of which traces its origins back to dignity. And when one gets to the frontiers of bioethics (such as human enhancement), dignity is the only conceivable language with which to describe and analyse the strange conceptual creatures found there. Drawing on clinical, anthropological, philosophical and legal insights, Foster provides a new lexicon and grammar of that language which is essential reading for anyone wanting to travel in the outlandish territories of bioethics, and strongly recommended for anyone wanting to travel comfortably anywhere in bioethics or medical law."--Bloomsbury Publishing.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Beginnings; title: A short history of dignity; title: Defining and dissecting dignity; title: "Dignity is useless"; title: What do non-philosophers and non-lawyers mean by dignity?; title: Taking stock of the view from the academy and the ward; title: Dignity in the courtroom : general overview; title: Consent, confidentiality, privacy, medical research and resources; title: Human enhancement and cloning technologies; title: Reproductive choice and the unborn; title: The end of life; title: The use and abuse of body parts.