Medical Ethics, Ordinary Concepts And Ordinary Lives

Medical Ethics, Ordinary Concepts and Ordinary Lives Christopher Cowley Medical Ethics, Ordinary Concepts and Ordinary Lives This page intentionally left blank Medical Ethics, Ordinary Concepts and Ordinary Lives Christopher Cowley © Christopher Cowley 2008 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2008 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN-13: 978–0–230–50690–9 hardback ISBN-10: 0–230–50690–9 hardback This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. 10 17 9 16 8 15 7 14 6 13 5 12 4 11 3 10 Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham and Eastbourne 2 09 1 08 Elišce a Františce This page intentionally left blank Table of Contents Acknowledgements ix Introduction xi Part I A Critique of Mainstream Medical Ethics 1 1. Technical Language and Ordinary Language 3 Fearless thinkers and monstrous thoughts 8 Standing behind one’s words 13 Conceptual revision 18 2. Ways of Seeing 23 The vegetarian and the carnivore 25 Conscientious objection 32 The limits to a philosopher’s authority 38 Part II Matters of Birth and Life 45 3. The Place of Pregnancy and Birth in Human Lives 47 Creation and flesh 51 The problem with descriptions 55 Learning to love 60 4. The Clash of Perspectives 65 Individuals and uniqueness 68 Responses to Warnock, Harris and Glover 70 Th