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Title The contingent nature of life : bioethics and limits of human existence / edited by Marcus Düwell, Christoph Rehmann-Sutter and Dietmar Mieth
Published [Berlin] : Springer, ©2008

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Description 1 online resource (xv, 373 pages)
Series International library of ethics, law, and the new medicine ; v. 39
International library of ethics, law, and the new medicine ; v. 39.
Contents pt. 1. Contingency of life and the ethical -- pt. 2. Ethical theories and the limits of life sciences -- pt. 3. Cases of limits -- pt. 4. Abilities and disabilities -- pt. 5. Others' views : intercultural perspectives
Summary Life and nature are imperfect, uncontrollable, and largely (and perhaps permanently) unknowable, that is to say: contingent. The contingency of life is a significant challenge for medicine and technology. Life sciences seem to broaden the possibilities of control to an extent that the contingency of life and nature is no longer self-evident. This very broad statement raises a lot of serious questions. Is it a valid diagnosis? Are the life sciences really defying the contingency of our existence? Or are we simply manipulated by utopian promises? And if contingency is really being challenged, why should we worry about it? Is contingency essential for a meaningful life and way of life? This volume explores the different ways in which the contingency of life, and especially human life, is relevant for ethical discussions and the normative frameworks of bioethics. It explores the relevance of the notion of contingency, and the desire for moral argumentation within bioethics. The authors discuss these notions from a philosophical perspective, paying special attention to the impact of life sciences on people with disabilities and to intercultural perspectives on bioethical debates. The volume also contributes to a deeper reflection on the basic philosophical assumptions of bioethics
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references
Notes Print version record
Subject Bioethics.
Bioethics -- Case studies
Bioethics -- Cross-cultural studies
Contingency (Philosophy)
Life.
Bioethics
Life
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Business Ethics.
Sciences humaines.
Sciences sociales.
Bioethics.
Contingency (Philosophy)
Life.
Genre/Form Case studies.
Cross-cultural studies.
Case studies.
Études de cas.
Form Electronic book
Author Düwell, Marcus, 1962-
Rehmann-Sutter, Christoph, 1959-
Mieth, Dietmar.
ISBN 9781402067648
140206764X
9781402067624
1402067623