HUMAN DIGNITY AND BIOETHICS

HUMAN DIGNITY AND BIOETHICS

CONTENTS

PREFACE

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL TOTHE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

MEMBERS OF THE PRESIDENT’S COUNCILON BIOETHICS

COUNCIL STAFF

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

BIOETHICS AND THE QUESTION OF HUMAN DIGNITY

THE PROBLEM OF HUMAN DIGNITY IN BIOETHICS: SOME EXAMPLES

THE TANGLED SOURCES OF HUMAN DIGNITY

DIGNITY UNDERSTOOD AS HUMANITY—AN INDISPENSABLECONCEPT FOR BIOETHICS?

REFERENCES

HUMAN DIGNITY AND RESPECT FOR PERSONS:AHISTORICAL PERSPECTIVEON PUBLIC BIOETHICS

RESPECT FOR PERSONS, THE BELMONT REPORT,AND THE NATIONAL COMMISSION

HUMAN DIGNITY, THIS VOLUME,AND THE PRESIDENT’S COUNCIL

REFERENCES

PART I.DIGNITY AND MODERN SCIENCE

HOW TO PROTECT HUMAN DIGNITYFROM SCIENCE

THE PROBLEM

THE SOLUTION

BELIEF IN BELIEF

REFERENCES

HUMAN DIGNITY AND THEMYSTERY OF THE HUMAN SOUL

SCIENTIFIC MATERIALISM:MAN AS COMPLEX MACHINEAND AS MASTER OF THE MACHINE

CLASSICAL GREEK PHILOSOPHY:MAN AS AN EMBODIEDRATIONAL SOUL

THE BIBLE AND CHRISTIAN FAITH:MAN AS A RATIONAL CREATUREMADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD

GUIDELINES FOR BIOETHICS: UTILITY, KNOWLEDGE,AND DIGNITY

REFERENCES

COMMENTARY ON KRAYNAK

REFERENCES

COMMENTARY ON DENNETT

COMMENTARY ON DENNETT

REFERENCES

HUMAN DIGNITY FROM A NEUROPHILOSOPHICALPERSPECTIVE

I. HOW DO WE FIGURE OUT WHAT ADHERENCE TO THE IDEAOF HUMAN DIGNITY REQUIRES OF US?

II. THE BIOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL SOURCES OF MORALITY

III. CAN THERE BE MORAL PROGRESS?

IV. VACCINES, ANESTHESIA, AND STEM CELLS

V. IF ETHICS IS ROOTED IN SOCIAL INSTINCTS SUPPLIED BY OURGENES, DOESN’T THAT MEAN HUMAN DIGNITY IS NOT REAL?

VI. IF MY DECISIONS AND CHOICES ARE THE OUTCOME OF BRAINACTIVITY, AND IF THE BRAIN IS A CAUSAL MACHINE,AM I RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING?

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

COMMENTARY ON CHURCHLAND

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PART II. HUMAN NATUREAND THE FUTURE OF MAN

HUMAN UNIQUENESS AND HUMANDIGNITY: PERSONS IN NATUREAND THE NATURE OF PERSONS

NATURE AND CULTURE

HUMAN DIGNITY AND ANIMAL INTEGRITY

IDEATIONAL UNIQUENESS

IDIOGRAPHIC UNIQUENESS

EXISTENTIAL UNIQUENESS

ETHICAL UNIQUENESS

REFERENCES

HUMAN DIGNITY AND THE FUTURE OF MAN

I

II

III

REFERENCE

DIGNITY AND ENHANCEMENT

THE MEANINGS OF DIGNITY AND ENHANCEMENT

GREATER CAPACITIES

THE ACT OF ENHANCEMENT

EMOTION MODIFICATION AS A SPECIAL HAZARD?

SOCIO-CULTURALLY MEDIATED EFFECTS

THE DIGNITY OF CIVILIZATIONS

A RELATIONAL COMPONENT?

DIGNITY OUTSIDE THE HUMAN WORLD: QUIET VALUES

THE ESCHATOLOGY OF DIGNITY

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COMMENTARY ON BOSTROM

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PART III.DIGNITY AND MODERN CULTURE

HUMAN DIGNITY AND PUBLIC DISCOURSE

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MODERN AND AMERICAN DIGNITY

THE CHRISTIAN UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN FREEDOM

THE DIGNITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL

DIGNITY VS. NATURE

DIGNITY VS. ANXIOUS CONTINGENCY

PANTHEISM

DIGNITY VS.MOOD CONTROL

FROM MORAL AUTONOMY TO EXISTENTIALISM

SELF-DEFINITION

AN AMERICAN CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

HUMAN DIGNITY: EXPLORINGAND EXPLICATING THE COUNCIL’S VISION

EQUAL DIGNITY AND DISTINCTIONS IN EXCELLENCE

DISTINCTIONS IN DIGNITY

THE HUMAN BEING AS NEITHER BEAST NOR GOD

REFERENCES

COMMENTARYON MEILAENDER AND DENNETT

COMMENTARY ON MEILAENDERAND LAWLER

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PART IV.THE SOURCES AND MEANINGOF DIGNITY

DEFENDING HUMAN DIGNITY

WHY BIOETHICS MUST CARE ABOUT HUMAN DIGNITY:OLD AND NEW CONCERNS

FULL HUMAN DIGNITY: THE DIGNITY OF BEING HUMAN

BASIC HUMAN DIGNITY: THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN BEING

THE DIGNITY OF BEING “IN-BETWEEN”: HUMAN ASPIRATION,TRANSCENDENT POSSIBILITIES

REFERENCES

KANT’S CONCEPT OF HUMAN DIGNITYAS A RESOURCE FOR BIOETHICS

DIGNITY AND EMBODIED RATIONALITY

KANT AND BIOETHICS

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HUMAN DIGNITYAND POLITICAL ENTITLEMENTS

THE STOIC ACCOUNT[4]

PROBLEMS IN THE STOIC ACCOUNT

THE ARISTOTELIAN/MARXIAN ALTERNATIVE [14]

THE ARISTOTELIAN ALTERNATIVE AND POLITICAL LIBERALISM

DIGNITY AND ITS BASIS

EXTENDING THE NOTION OF DIGNITY: ANIMAL ENTITLEMENTS

DIRECTIONS FOR BIOETHICS?

APPENDIX: THE CENTRAL HUMAN CAPABILITIES

REFERENCES

COMMENTARY ON NUSSBAUM,SHELL, AND KASS

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THE IRREDUCIBLY RELIGIOUSCHARACTER OF HUMAN DIGNITY

SECULAR VS. RELIGIOUS MORALITY

DIGNITY AND HUMANITY

DIGNITY AND SANCTITY

RIGHTS VS. DUTIES

THE FOREGROUND OF HUMAN DIGNITY

REFERENCES

PART V.THEORIES OF HUMAN DIGNITY

THE NATURE AND BASISOF HUMAN DIGNITY

THE PROBLEM OF MORAL STATUS

THE CAPACITY FOR ENJOYMENT OR SUFFERING AS A CRITERION

THE DIFFERENCE IN KIND BETWEEN HUMAN BEINGSAND OTHER ANIMALS

HAVING A RATIONAL NATURE, OR BEING A PERSON,IS THE CRITERION FOR FULL MORAL WORTH

MARGINAL CASES

REFERENCES

TWO ARGUMENTS FROM HUMAN DIGNITY

I.WHY ARGUE FROM DIGNITY?

II. THE FITTINGNESS ARGUMENT: INITIAL STATEMENTAND CLARIFICATION

III. THE FITTINGNESS ARGUMENT: A FULLER STATEMENT ANDASSESSMENT

IV. THE ARISTOTELIAN ARGUMENT: INITIAL STATEMENTAND CLARIFICATION

V. THE ARISTOTELIAN ARGUMENT: A FULLER STATEMENTAND ASSESSMENT

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

DIGNITY AND BIOETHICS: HISTORY,THEORY,AND SELECTED APPLICATIONS

THREE SENSES OF DIGNITY

THE AXIOLOGICAL ARGUMENT

THE ARGUMENT FROM CONSISTENCY

WHAT SORTS OF CANDIDATE HUMAN PROPERTIESMIGHT BE PROPOSED?

NORMS DERIVABLE FROM INTRINSIC DIGNITY

CONSEQUENCES OF THIS VIEW FOR BIOETHICS

EUTHANASIA

THE CARE OF THE DISABLED

EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH

CLONING TO BRING BABIES TO BIRTH

THE CARE OF PERSONS SUFFERING FROM POST-COMAUNRESPONSIVENESS

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

PART VI.HUMAN DIGNITYAND THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE

HUMAN DIGNITY AND THESERIOUSLY ILL PATIENT

THE BIOETHICS CRITIQUE

DIGNITY FROM THE PATIENT’S PERSPECTIVE

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

THE LIVED EXPERIENCEOF HUMAN DIGNITY

THINKING ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF DIGNITY: GABRIEL MARCELAND JOHN NEWMAN

DIGNITY AND THE HUMAN PREDICAMENT OF ILLNESS

DIGNITY AND THE CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

CHRONIC ILLNESS

ETHICAL OBLIGATION AND THE EXPERIENCE OF DIGNITYAND INDIGNITY

PRESERVING HUMAN DIGNITY, PREVENTING INDIGNITY

DIGNITY IN A POST-SECULAR SOCIETY

REFERENCES

CONTRIBUTORS

INDEX