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This book explores and elaborates three theories of public reason, drawn from Rawlsian political liberalism, natural law theory, and Confucianism. Drawing together academics from these separate approaches, the volume explores how the three theories critique each other, as well as how each one brings its theoretical arsenal to bear on the urgent contemporary debate of medical assistance in dying. The volume is structured in two parts: an exploration of the three traditions, followed by an in-depth overview of the conceptual and historical background. In Part I, the three comprehensive opening chapters are supplemented by six dynamic chapters in dialogue with each other, each author responding to the other two traditions, and subsequently reflecting on the possible deficiencies of their own theories. The chapters in Part II cover a broad range of subjects, from an overview of the history of bioethics to the nature of autonomy and its status as a moral and political value. In its entirety, the volume provides a vibrant and exemplary collaborative resource to scholars interested in the role of public reason and its relevance in bioethical debate.
List of contents
Part I: The Three Traditions.- 1. Rawlsian Political Liberalism, Publican Reason, and Bioethics; Hon-Lam Li.- 2. The Natural Law Tradition, Public Reason, and Bioethics; Dominic Farrell LC and Joseph Tham LC.- 3. A Confucian Conception of Public Reason and Its Application to the Issue of Physician Assisted Suicide, Ruiping Fan.- 4. Replies to Farrell and Tham, and Fan; Hon-Lam Li.- 5. Replies to Li and Fan; Dominic Farrell LC and Joseph Tham LC.- 6. Replies to Li and Farrell and Tham; Ruiping Fan.- 7. Further Reflections; Hon-Lam Li.- 8. Further Reflections; Dominic Farrell LC and Joseph Tham LC.- 9. Further Reflections; Ruiping Fan.- Part II: Conceptual and Historical Background.- 10. Kant's Conception of Public Reason; Terence Hua Tai.- 11. Autonomy, Neutrality, and Perfectionism; Yingying Tand and Lei Zhong.- 12. What We Have Reason to Value: Human Capabilities and Public Reason; Nancy S. Jecker.- 13. Public Reason and the Quest for Consensus; Michael Campbell.- 14. Public Reason in the History of Bioethics; Alastair V. Campbell.
About the author
Hon-Lam Li is Professor in the Department of Philosophy and Deputy Director of the Centre for Bioethics, the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Michael Campbell is a Research Fellow in the Centre for Ethics at the University of Pardubice, the Czech Republic.
