Human Identity and Bioethics

by David DeGrazia

When philosophers address personal identity, they usually explore numerical identity. When non-philosophers address personal identity, they often have in mind narrative identity. This book develops accounts of both senses of identity, arguing that both are normatively important, and is unique in its exploration of a wide range of issues in bioethics through the lens of identity. Defending a biological view of our numerical identity and a framework for understanding narrative identity, David DeGrazia investigates various issues for which considerations of identity prove critical.

Genres: Philosophy

316 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

David DeGrazia is an American moral philosopher specializing in bioethics and animal ethics. He is Professor of Philosophy at George Washington University, where he has taught since 1989.

Reviews

[Samuel Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

An important consideration of the nature and relevance of human identity to questions about biomedical ethics. The writing and the solidity of the argument are somewhat uneven, and I found the discussion of advance directives (the area where I've spent the most time intellectually) rather weak, but his response to Locke/psychological identity felt important to me, and I will be thinking about his critique of person and mind essentialism for quite some time. I'm less confident that he has really solved the mind:body problem with his numeric plus narrative identity combination. Worth reading for people concerned about the philosophical foundation of advance directives, enhancements, and abortion or people who are seriously worried about the nature of identity in terms of practical philosophical implications.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was intelligent, well-argued, and thought-provoking. I'm not entirely convinced that all of the author's conclusions are correct, but the subject matter of the book is of the highest importance.