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Who/se we are: baptism as personhood
1Duke University, Divinity School, Box 90967, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
Christian Bioethics
|August 9, 2002
Summary
Defining personhood in bioethics is complex. Christian perspectives argue against formal criteria, especially those based on mental capacity, asserting no neutral designation exists.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Ethics
- Moral Philosophy
- Christian Theology
Background:
- The concept of personhood is central to modern biomedical ethics and moral discourse.
- Debates on personhood are intensified by advancements in biomedical technology.
- Establishing universal criteria for personhood reflects a hope for moral consensus in a fragmented world.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine bioethical approaches to defining personhood.
- To analyze the implications of formal, objective criteria for personhood from a Christian perspective.
- To challenge the notion of morally neutral designations of personhood.
Main Methods:
- Philosophical analysis of bioethical frameworks.
- Theological interpretation of Christian ethical traditions.
- Argumentative essay drawing on ethical and theological reasoning.
Main Results:
- Formal, objective criteria for designating personhood in bioethics are fundamentally misguided.
- Criteria focusing on reflective mental capacity are particularly problematic from a Christian viewpoint.
- The designation of personhood cannot be achieved through morally neutral means.
Conclusions:
- Bioethical attempts to establish universal criteria for personhood are flawed.
- Christian ethical traditions offer a critique of secular approaches to personhood.
- There are no objective, value-neutral ways to determine personhood.
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