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The concept and definition of personhood is central to current debates over ethics. Should 'personhood', for example, determine the allocation of scarce medical resources, and its perceived absence allow the termination of life? In a wide-ranging discussion notable for its clarity, Stanley Rudman's 1997 book traces the development of modern ideas about personhood. He argues that concepts of person are socially constructed, and that the relational understanding of persons in a number of theological discussions can act as an important corrective to the individualistic notions of person which have been popular in secular philosophy since the Enlightenment. Early Christian views of divine speech, communication and relations between the Trinity can help to define an ethic which understands personhood in relation to other people, to the environment, and to God.
Sommario
Part I. 'Person' in Contemporary Ethics: 1. 'Une Cátegorie de l'Esprit Humain: La Notion de Personne'; 2. Meaning and criteria: person/human being; 3. Moral personhood in M. Tooley and P. Singer; 4. Personal identity and responsibility in D. Parfit; 5. Human subject and human worth; 6. Resituating personhood: embodiment and contextuality; Part II. 'Person' in Christian Perspective: 7. The relevance of history and Christology; 8. Divine embodiment and temporality: is God a person?; 9. Divine and human: relationality and personhood; 10. Religion and morality: personhood, revelation and narrative; Part III. Implications for a Christian Ethic: 11. A communicative ethic: Hauerwas and Habermas; 12. A community of ethical difference: including the 'other'; 13. The logic of superabundence: an ethic of forgiving love; 14. The religious ground of human rights; 15. The integrity and transformation of creation; Conclusion; Bibliography; Indices.
Riassunto
In a wide-ranging discussion notable for its clarity, Stanley Rudman's 1997 book traces the development of modern concepts of person, a central issue in current ethical debates. Drawing on early Christian thought, he proposes an ethic which understands personhood in relation to other people, to the environment, and to God.
