Dignitas personae has garnered significant attention both inside and outside Roman Catholic circl... more Dignitas personae has garnered significant attention both inside and outside Roman Catholic circles, but it lacks the argumentative force not only to present the Church's ethical judgment but also to persuade non-sympathetic readers. More direct engagement with contrary views would provide a stronger foundation for constructing arguments in public discourse. This article highlights various assertions found in Dignitas personae which call for greater explicit argumentation. Subjects treated include the ontological and moral status of human embryos, prenatal adoption, potentially abortifacient contraceptives, reproductive cloning, and alternatives to human embryonic stem cell research, such as induced pluripotent stem cells and animal-human chimeras.
Those who oppose human embryonic stem cell research argue for a clear position on the metaphysica... more Those who oppose human embryonic stem cell research argue for a clear position on the metaphysical and moral status of human embryos. This position does not differ whether the embryo is present inside its mother's reproductive tract or in a cryopreservation tank. It is worth examining, however, whether an embryo in "suspended animation" has the same status as one actively developing in utero. I will explore this question from the perspective of Thomas Aquinas's metaphysical account of human nature. I conclude that a cryopreserved human embryo counts, both metaphysically and morally, as a person; and thus the utilization of such embryos for inherently destructive research purposes is impermissible.
Page 1. Ethical Considerations in Defense of Embryo Adoption1 Brandon P. Brown and Jason T. Eberl... more Page 1. Ethical Considerations in Defense of Embryo Adoption1 Brandon P. Brown and Jason T. Eberl 1 Introduction The Roman Catholic Church2 clearly regards in vitro fertilization (IVF) and related techniques of artificial procreation ...
In addressing bioethical issues at the beginning of human life, such as abortion, in vitro fertil... more In addressing bioethical issues at the beginning of human life, such as abortion, in vitro fertilization, and embryonic stem cell research, one primary concern regards establishing when a developing human embryo or fetus can be considered a person. Thomas Aquinas argues that an embryo or fetus is not a human person until its body is informed by a rational soul. Aquinas's explicit account of human embryogenesis has been generally rejected by contemporary scholars due to its dependence upon medieval biological data, which has been far surpassed by current scientific research. A number of scholars, however, have attempted to combine Aquinas's basic metaphysical account of human nature with current embryological data to develop a contemporary Thomistic account of a human person's beginning. In this paper, I discuss two recent interpretations in which it is argued that a human person does not begin to exist until a fetus has developed a functioning cerebral cortex.
1. Am J Bioeth. 2008 Jul;8(7):44-6; discussion W4-6. The moral status of 'unborn children&#x... more 1. Am J Bioeth. 2008 Jul;8(7):44-6; discussion W4-6. The moral status of 'unborn children' without rights. Eberl JT. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, IN 46202-5140, USA. [email protected] Comment on: Am J Bioeth. ...
1. Am J Bioeth. 2007 May;7(5):52-4. Creating non-human persons: might it be worth the risk? Eberl... more 1. Am J Bioeth. 2007 May;7(5):52-4. Creating non-human persons: might it be worth the risk? Eberl JT. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, USA. Comment in: Am J Bioeth. 2007 May;7(5):W4-6. Comment on: Am J Bioeth. 2007 May;7(5):27-40. ...
This is a remarkably good and well-balanced book which ! confronts head-on the question of how Ch... more This is a remarkably good and well-balanced book which ! confronts head-on the question of how Christian bioethics should function in a pluralistic, not to say secular, public space. As the work of two avowedly Evangelical theologians working in an American political context, it would be easy to think that this book would have little to say to the situation in England or to those who do not necessarily hold to the three ’solas’ (sola fide, sola gratia, sola Scriptura). In fact, the tension generated by a strong commitment to truly theological Christian ethics, and a commitment to engage in debate in a strongly liberal/secular public sphere, gives particular clarity to a problem which is in fact common to all Christians in all
Thomas Aquinas argues that matter is informed by a rational soul to compose a human person. But a... more Thomas Aquinas argues that matter is informed by a rational soul to compose a human person. But a person may survive her body’s death since a rational soul is able to exist and function without matter. This leads to the typical characterization of Aquinas as a dualist. Thomistic dualism, however, is distinct from both Platonic dualism and various accounts of substance dualism offered by philosophers such as Richard Swinburne. For both Plato and Swinburne, a person is identical to an immaterial soul that is contingently related to a human body. For Aquinas, a human person is composed of her soul and the matter it informs, but is not identical to either metaphysical component. I explicate Thomistic dualism while critically analyzing Swinburne’s account. I conclude that Aquinas’s account has the resources to address a central issue that arises for substance dualism.
Dignitas personae has garnered significant attention both inside and outside Roman Catholic circl... more Dignitas personae has garnered significant attention both inside and outside Roman Catholic circles, but it lacks the argumentative force not only to present the Church's ethical judgment but also to persuade non-sympathetic readers. More direct engagement with contrary views would provide a stronger foundation for constructing arguments in public discourse. This article highlights various assertions found in Dignitas personae which call for greater explicit argumentation. Subjects treated include the ontological and moral status of human embryos, prenatal adoption, potentially abortifacient contraceptives, reproductive cloning, and alternatives to human embryonic stem cell research, such as induced pluripotent stem cells and animal-human chimeras.
Those who oppose human embryonic stem cell research argue for a clear position on the metaphysica... more Those who oppose human embryonic stem cell research argue for a clear position on the metaphysical and moral status of human embryos. This position does not differ whether the embryo is present inside its mother's reproductive tract or in a cryopreservation tank. It is worth examining, however, whether an embryo in "suspended animation" has the same status as one actively developing in utero. I will explore this question from the perspective of Thomas Aquinas's metaphysical account of human nature. I conclude that a cryopreserved human embryo counts, both metaphysically and morally, as a person; and thus the utilization of such embryos for inherently destructive research purposes is impermissible.
Page 1. Ethical Considerations in Defense of Embryo Adoption1 Brandon P. Brown and Jason T. Eberl... more Page 1. Ethical Considerations in Defense of Embryo Adoption1 Brandon P. Brown and Jason T. Eberl 1 Introduction The Roman Catholic Church2 clearly regards in vitro fertilization (IVF) and related techniques of artificial procreation ...
In addressing bioethical issues at the beginning of human life, such as abortion, in vitro fertil... more In addressing bioethical issues at the beginning of human life, such as abortion, in vitro fertilization, and embryonic stem cell research, one primary concern regards establishing when a developing human embryo or fetus can be considered a person. Thomas Aquinas argues that an embryo or fetus is not a human person until its body is informed by a rational soul. Aquinas's explicit account of human embryogenesis has been generally rejected by contemporary scholars due to its dependence upon medieval biological data, which has been far surpassed by current scientific research. A number of scholars, however, have attempted to combine Aquinas's basic metaphysical account of human nature with current embryological data to develop a contemporary Thomistic account of a human person's beginning. In this paper, I discuss two recent interpretations in which it is argued that a human person does not begin to exist until a fetus has developed a functioning cerebral cortex.
1. Am J Bioeth. 2008 Jul;8(7):44-6; discussion W4-6. The moral status of 'unborn children&#x... more 1. Am J Bioeth. 2008 Jul;8(7):44-6; discussion W4-6. The moral status of 'unborn children' without rights. Eberl JT. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, IN 46202-5140, USA. [email protected] Comment on: Am J Bioeth. ...
1. Am J Bioeth. 2007 May;7(5):52-4. Creating non-human persons: might it be worth the risk? Eberl... more 1. Am J Bioeth. 2007 May;7(5):52-4. Creating non-human persons: might it be worth the risk? Eberl JT. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, USA. Comment in: Am J Bioeth. 2007 May;7(5):W4-6. Comment on: Am J Bioeth. 2007 May;7(5):27-40. ...
This is a remarkably good and well-balanced book which ! confronts head-on the question of how Ch... more This is a remarkably good and well-balanced book which ! confronts head-on the question of how Christian bioethics should function in a pluralistic, not to say secular, public space. As the work of two avowedly Evangelical theologians working in an American political context, it would be easy to think that this book would have little to say to the situation in England or to those who do not necessarily hold to the three ’solas’ (sola fide, sola gratia, sola Scriptura). In fact, the tension generated by a strong commitment to truly theological Christian ethics, and a commitment to engage in debate in a strongly liberal/secular public sphere, gives particular clarity to a problem which is in fact common to all Christians in all
Thomas Aquinas argues that matter is informed by a rational soul to compose a human person. But a... more Thomas Aquinas argues that matter is informed by a rational soul to compose a human person. But a person may survive her body’s death since a rational soul is able to exist and function without matter. This leads to the typical characterization of Aquinas as a dualist. Thomistic dualism, however, is distinct from both Platonic dualism and various accounts of substance dualism offered by philosophers such as Richard Swinburne. For both Plato and Swinburne, a person is identical to an immaterial soul that is contingently related to a human body. For Aquinas, a human person is composed of her soul and the matter it informs, but is not identical to either metaphysical component. I explicate Thomistic dualism while critically analyzing Swinburne’s account. I conclude that Aquinas’s account has the resources to address a central issue that arises for substance dualism.
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