Roles of Justice in Bioethics

Laihonen

2022

Environ Dev Sustain

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The European Union’s 2018 updated bioeconomy strategy A Sustainable Bioeconomy for Europe: Strengthening the connection between economy, society and the environment aims to fulfill the requirements of sustainability and justice while transitioning economy from fossil-based to bio-based. We ask whether and to what extent the economically ambitious strategy succeeds in achieving its non-economic goals. We present a map of justice that shows the tensions and alliances between key interpretations of equality, identify the definition of sustainability informing the strategy, and show how this definition steers the strategy toward a limited view of justice that is geared to ignore social and ecological concerns. The governance framework that the strategy adheres to is the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals approach, which is an outgrowth of the 1987 Brundtland Commission’s view on sustainability. Since this framework forms the basis of many other international environmental agreements, our observations are largely applicable to them, too. From the viewpoint of justice, comprehensively understood, the whole system is, and has since the Brundtland Report been, fundamentally flawed.

Section: Dimensions Of Justice: Variables and Polaritiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The six doctrines, or ideal types, can be briefly characterized as follows (Häyry, 2018(Häyry, , 2022.…”

Section: Doctrines Of Justicementioning

confidence: 99%

Situating a sustainable bioeconomy strategy on a map of justice: a solution and its problems

Laihonen

2022

Environ Dev Sustain

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“…Any intervention in the economy's working would, according to this narrative, be detrimental. 45 In practice, our planetary resources are limited, and both political leaders and captains of industry are grudgingly beginning to admit this. Climate change and biodiversity loss affect localities, communities, and societies, and the current fossil economies continue to contribute to these environmental crises.…”

Section: Against the Ideology Of Perpetual Materials Growthmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exit Duty Generator

2023

Camb Q Healthc Ethics

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This article presents a revised version of negative utilitarianism. Previous versions have relied on a hedonistic theory of value and stated that suffering should be minimized. The traditional rebuttal is that the doctrine in this form morally requires us to end all sentient life. To avoid this, a need-based theory of value is introduced. The frustration of the needs not to suffer and not to have one’s autonomy dwarfed should, prima facie, be decreased. When decreasing the need frustration of some would increase the need frustration of others, the case is deferred and a fuller ethical analysis is conducted. The author’s perceptions on murder, extinction, the right to die, antinatalism, veganism, and abortion are used to reach a reflective equilibrium. The new theory is then applied to consumerism, material growth, and power relations. The main finding is that the burden of proof should be on those who promote the status quo.

“…Thirdly, bioethically focal concepts such as "justice" have justifiably conflicting interpretations in opposing ideological camps. Depending on their background assumptions concerning communality and individuality, tradition and social engineering, and the role of governments in economic and social life, bioethicists can lean in communitarian, libertarian, liberal, utilitarian, socialist, or care-and-identity directions (Häyry 2022). Philosophers can and should examine the impact of these background stances on proposed solutions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Philosophers in Bioethics

Räsänen

The American Journal of Bioethics

2022

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Blumenthal-Barby et al. (forthcoming) present a nuanced and convincing case for the continued presence of moral and political philosophers in bioethics. We agree with the authors that philosophers should have a role in bioethical inquiry. However, we partly disagree on what that role should be. We assess the case taking our clues from a concern the authors mentionand another one that they do not directly address.