Section A25 - Dignity

Institution:

Wheaton College - Massachusetts

Subject:

Description:

All humans are thought to have it. Philosopher John Stuart Mill thought living beings possessed dignity in proportion to their higher (or cognitive) faculties. Legal or human rights are thought to protect it. A terminal illness or nursing home stay is thought to threaten it. We speak both of living with and dying with dignity. But what is dignity The philosopher and legal scholar, Ronald Dworkin refers to it as "a vague but powerful idea." It has been variouslydescribed as "a capacity to assert claims,"or "a capacity to choose my roles and identities for myself." How then does dignity differ from the related concepts of self-respect and autonomy This course will be devoted to the study of dignity and related concepts. We will consider the notion of human dignity as it features in current controversies in bioethics: genetic engineering, disability rights, and physician-assisted suicide. Our texts will be legal, philosophical, historical, fictional works, and film. Our method will be conceptual and critical analysis. (M. Teresa Celada)

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wheatoncollege.edu

Phone Number:

(508) 285-7722

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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