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Harris, harmed states, and sexed bodies.

Authors :
Sparrow, Robert
Source :
Journal of Medical Ethics. May2011, Vol. 37 Issue 5, p276-279. 4p.
Publication Year :
2011

Abstract

This paper criticises John Harris's attempts to defend an account of a 'harmed condition' that can standindependently of intuitions about what is 'normal'. I argue that because Homo sapiens is a sexually dimorphic species, determining whether a particular individual is in a harmed condition or not will sometimes require making reference to the normal capacities of their sex. Consequently, Harris's account is unable to play the role he intends for it in debates about the ethics of human enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
03066800
Volume :
37
Issue :
5
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Journal of Medical Ethics
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
60314776
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.2010.039982