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Vulnerability, diversity and scarcity: on universal rights.
Bryan Stanley Turner1, Alex Dumas
1Department of Sociology, The Graduate Center, The City University of New York, 365 Fifth Ave, New York, NY, 10016-4309, USA, BTurner@gc.cuny.edu.
Medicine, Health Care, and Philosophy
|July 13, 2013
Summary
Bioethics is universal due to shared human traits like vulnerability and resource scarcity, challenging cultural relativism. This perspective highlights interconnected human experiences over cultural differences, impacting health and social inequality.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Bioethics
- Human Rights
Background:
- Ongoing debates on universalism vs. cultural relativism.
- Bioethics is examined through a sociological lens.
- Critiques of existing approaches to vulnerability and human rights.
Purpose of the Study:
- To argue for the universal scope of bioethics.
- To propose 'weak foundationalism' based on shared human characteristics.
- To explore the limitations of the universalism/relativism dichotomy in health contexts.
Main Methods:
- Sociological analysis.
- Theoretical argumentation on human vulnerability, institutional precariousness, and resource scarcity.
- Engagement with recent criticisms of universalist approaches.
Main Results:
- Bioethics possesses a universal range due to fundamental human conditions.
- 'Weak foundationalism' emphasizes shared human experiences.
- The universalism/relativism debate has limitations concerning political economy and social inequality.
Conclusions:
- Shared human characteristics support a universalist view in bioethics.
- A nuanced understanding acknowledges limitations of this dichotomy.
- Socioeconomic factors significantly impact health and inequality, complicating universal bioethical application.
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