Social downshifting is emerging as one of the key strategies of optimizing and maintaining the quality of human life in view of the prospect meet one's death with dignity. The aim of the issue is to conceptualize the term "social downshifting", by analyzing the relationship between social and biological aspects of death and the connection of a person's understanding of his/her death with his/her social self-identification. In this study the functional approach was used in its value interpretation, that is, as a method of value functionalism. If social downshift emerges as a social value, it can have different functional consequences -institutional, organizational, communicative. On the other hand, the functional choice of a person in favor of social downshift as accepting a new value of the state of limited functional capacity can have very different value reasonsbiological (anthropologic, environmental, etc.) or social (ethical, religious, political, economic, etc.). Social downshifting is not an outgrowth of social identity frameworks, but rather their artificial (possibly temporary) narrowing. While there may be objective reasons for this, social downshifting is still the result of the subjective, conscious position being taken by an individual, with which he or she is replacing his/her previous, socially aggressive and expansive position. Changing of the social identification is the best alternative to the uncompensated loss of grounds for the individual's ordinary method of social identification. The uncompensated loss of identity is essentially social death of a person -full or partial, and it is not surprising, therefore, that it often entails overt or covert suicide, that is, premature, artificially caused physical death. Therefore, social downshifting as a realistic variant of changing the social identity of an individual in unfavorable circumstances, acts as a safeguard against suicide. With successful social downshifting, the person acquires a new meaning of life and new, acceptable living conditions. Thus, a person is motivated to use the technological life-extension capabilities that global civilization offers.
The purpose of the study is to identify a common theoretical basis for the study of human life as capital and unconditional higher value. Theoretical basis is based on the value-laden and revised structural constructivism, provided by the French philosopher and sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, critical analysis of the concepts of capital as the embodiment of social expectations, the biological concept of the value of human life, as well as the concepts of its sanctity. Originality. It is proved that one should not consider the value of human life as capital only but instead takes into account its different value interpretations, especially when forming the social identity of a person. Moreover, in each of the value systems, the value of human life can be recognized as unconditional, which does not prevent the coexistence of such different value interpretations within the framework of one social identity, which then inevitably becomes a multiple social identity. Conclusions. Human life cannot be considered as a result of integrating economic expectations into the concept of "advertising" capital: first, expectations may well be inadequate; second, expectations by themselves are not directly related to capital; third, expectations do not necessarily lead to development; fourth, one should clearly distinguish between the spontaneous "expectations" and the values that express people's strong motivation as members of social communities. The multiplicity of possible cultural conditions that affirm the unconditional value of life indicates that this unconditionality is always relevant rather than absolute. The multiple social identities could be used to add value to the protection of human life, the affirmation of multiple social identities is a means of affirming the unconditional value of human life-it is unconditional in several alternative ways.
Рождение человека как физический акт выглядит чем-то простым и беспроблемным. В статье эта проблема рассматривается из разных плоскостей, а существенные характеристики рождения человека сгруппированы по признаку его рождения как биологического, социального и духовного существа. Подчеркнута важность этического понимания биологического рождения человека и дилемм, связанных с прокреацией. Показаны позиции различных философских и моральных теорий, а также биоэтики по отношению к обсуждаемой проблеме. Обозначена необходимость этического основания для рассмотрения вопросов о сущности биологического, социального и духовного рождения человека, которая может быть подкреплена использованием кодексов и предписаний в сфере биоэтики, прав человека в медицине. Human birth as a physical act looks like something simple and trouble-free. In the article, this problem is considered from different views, and essential characteristics of a human birth were grouped according to the human birth as a biological, social and spiritual being. The importance of ethical understanding of the human biological birth and the dilemma associated with procreation is emphasized. The positions of various philosophical and moral theories, as well as bioethics, are shown in relation to the problem under discussion. The need for ethical basis for addressing the essence of biological, social and spiritual birth of a person is indicated, so that this essence can be interpreted by the use of codes and regulations in the field of bioethics, human rights and medicine.
Torbjörn Tännsjö’s monograph “Setting Health-Care Priorities” clearly demonstrates its position in finest details involving case studies. It seems to be an especially valuable assistance, not least for study purposes, for those who are interested in a comprehensive review of plausible moral theories and the practice of fair resource distribution in the field of healthcare. The author’s approach suggests engagement of the most applicable moral theories attempting to solve the important problem of sharing scarce and deficit resources in the healthcare. The book doesn’t aim for developing a single correct and effective moral theory for fair resource sharing, it rather discusses reaching a consensus regarding distribution decisions based on thoroughly reviewed theories. The appeal to Population Ethics in the present paper emphasizes the difference between patient-centered approach in the situation of limited medical resources and distribution of resources among the population in general. The book represents author’s views towards the open problems in bioethics: prolongation of life of terminal patients; “right-to-die” (euthanasia); moral side of the assisted reproductive technologies; futile medical treatment; attitude towards abortion, etc.
The basic economic and ethical arguments in favor of proper treatment of human birth are considered. It has been analyzed that ethics should be widely considered when defining goals and means of economic behavior. It has been argued that utilitarianism as an ethical position should be limited in practice, but bioethics should be more widely used in determining the motivation for economic behavior.
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