Human Dignity and Bioethics

by Pellegrino, Edmund D.

• ISBN13: 9780268038922
• ISBN10: 0268038929
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-05-15
• Publisher: Univ of Notre Dame Pr

Summary

This collection of essays, commissioned by the President's Council on Bioethics, explores a fundamental concept crucial to today's discourse in law and ethics in general and in bioethics in particular. Since its formation in 2001, the council has frequently used the term "human dignity" in its discussions and reports. In this volume scholars from the fields of philosophy, medicine and medical ethics, law, political science, and public policy address the issue of what the concept of "human dignity" entails and its proper role in bioethical controversies. Human Dignity and Bioethics is an attempt to clarify a controversial concept, one that is a critical component in the decisions of policymakers.

Author Biography

Edmund D. Pellegrino is professor emeritus of medicine and medical ethics and adjunct professor of philosophy at Georgetown University. Adam Schulman is Tutor at St. John's College, Annapolis, and senior research consultant for the President's Council on Bioethics. Thomas W. Merrill is assistant professor in the Department of Government at American University and a research analyst for the President's Council on Bioethics.

Table of Contents

Preface: The Persisting Relevance of Dignity	p. ix
Introduction
Bioethics and the Question of Human Dignity	p. 3
Human Dignity and Respect for Persons: A Historical Perspective on Public Bioethics	p. 19
Dignity and Modern Science
How to Protect Human Dignity from Science	p. 39
Human Dignity and the Mystery of the Human Soul	p. 61
Commentary on Kraynak	p. 83
Commentary on Dennett	p. 89
Commentary on Dennett	p. 95
Human Dignity from a Neurophilosophical Perspective	p. 99
Commentary on Churchland	p. 122
Human Nature and the Future of Man
Human Uniqueness and Human Dignity: Persons in Nature and the Nature of Persons	p. 129
Human Dignity and the Future of Man	p. 155
Dignity and Enhancement	p. 173
Commentary on Bostrom	p. 207
Dignity and Modern Culture
Human Dignity and Public Discourse	p. 215
Modern and American Dignity	p. 229
Human Dignity: Exploring and Explicating the Council's Vision	p. 253
Commentary on Meilaender and Dennett	p. 278
Commentary on Meilaender and Lawler	p. 284
The Sources and Meaning of Dignity
Defending Human Dignity	p. 297
Kant's Concept of Human Dignity as a Resource for Bioethics	p. 333
Human Dignity and Political Entitlements	p. 351
Commentary on Nussbaum, Shell, and Kass	p. 381
The Irreducibly Religious Character of Human Dignity	p. 387
Theories of Human Dignity
The Nature and Basis of Human Dignity	p. 409
Two Arguments from Human Dignity	p. 435
Dignity and Bioethics: History, Theory, and Selected Applications	p. 469
Human Dignity and the Practice of Medicine
Human Dignity and the Seriously Ill Patient	p. 505
The Lived Experience of Human Dignity	p. 513
Contributors	p. 541
Index	p. 545
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