Human Identity and Bioethics

ISBN: 9780521532686 出版年：2005 页码：314 DeGrazia Cambridge University Press

When philosophers address personal identity, they usually explore numerical identity: What are the criteria for a person’s continuing existence? When nonphilosophers address personal identity, they often have in mind narrative identity: Which characteristics of a particular person are especially 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 wide 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, David 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.Human Identity and Bioethics demonstrates the power of personal identity theory to illuminate issues in bioethics as they bring philosophical theory to life.