One of the Wall Street Journal’s Top Ten Books of the Year A
leading expert on public bioethics advocates for a new conception
of human identity in American law and policy. The natural limits of
the human body make us vulnerable and therefore dependent,
throughout our lives, on others. Yet American law and policy
disregard these stubborn facts, with statutes and judicial
decisions that presume people to be autonomous, defined by their
capacity to choose. As legal scholar O. Carter Snead points out,
this individualistic ideology captures important truths about human
freedom, but it also means that we have no obligations to each
other unless we actively, voluntarily embrace them. Under such
circumstances, the neediest must rely on charitable care. When it
is not forthcoming, law and policy cannot adequately respond. What
It Means to Be Human makes the case for a new paradigm, one that
better represents the gifts and challenges of being human. Inspired
by the insights of Alasdair MacIntyre and Charles Taylor, Snead
proposes a vision of human identity and flourishing that supports
those who are profoundly vulnerable and dependent—children, the
disabled, and the elderly. To show how such a vision would affect
law and policy, he addresses three complex issues in bioethics:
abortion, assisted reproductive technology, and end-of-life
decisions. Avoiding typical dichotomies of
conservative-versus-liberal and secular-versus-religious, Snead
recasts debates over these issues and situates them within his
framework of embodiment and dependence. He concludes that, if the
law is built on premises that reflect the fully lived reality of
life, it will provide support for the vulnerable, including the
unborn, mothers, families, and those nearing the end of their
lives. In this way, he argues, policy can ensure that people have
the care they need in order to thrive. In this provocative and
consequential book, Snead rethinks how the law represents human
experiences so that it might govern more wisely, justly, and
humanely.
General
Imprint: |
Harvard University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
April 2020 |
Authors: |
O Carter Snead
|
Dimensions: |
210 x 140 x 29mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Hardcover - Cloth over boards
|
Pages: |
336 |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-674-98772-2 |
Categories: |
Books
|
LSN: |
0-674-98772-1 |
Barcode: |
9780674987722 |
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