Human Identity and Bioethics

Human Identity and Bioethics
by David DeGrazia (Author) › Visit Amazon’s David DeGrazia Page See search results for this author David DeGrazia (Author)
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (15 Sept. 2005)
Language: English
Hardcover: 316 pages
ISBN-10: 052182561X
ISBN-13: 9780521825610
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Book Description
When philosophers address personal identity, they usually explore numerical identity: what are the criteria for a person’s continuing existence? When non-philosophers address personal identity, they often have in mind narrative identity: Which characteristics of a particular person are salient to her self-conception? This book develops accounts of both senses of identity, arguing that both are normatively important, and is unique in its exploration of a range of issues in bioethics through the lens of identity. Defending a biological view of our numerical identity and a framework for understanding narrative identity, DeGrazia investigates various issues for which considerations of identity prove critical: the definition of death; the authority of advance directives in cases of severe dementia; the use of enhancement technologies; prenatal genetic interventions; and certain types of reproductive choices. He demonstrates the power of personal identity theory to illuminate issues in bioethics as they bring philosophical theory to life.