Rubenstein will discuss the President's Council's recent publication "Human Dignity and Bioethics" (available on the President's Council on Bioethics Web site). This work is a compilation of essays from scholars around the country who were asked to explain their understanding of the concept of human dignity and whether they think it is useful for bioethics. At stake here is the way that policy makers address issues like stem cell research, genetic screening, "heroic" treatment at the end of life, and organ transplantation. Should "protecting human dignity" be a concern in their deliberations? Is there enough agreement on what human dignity is to make this possible? Or would it be better, instead, to avoid use of this contentious and difficult concept?
Rubenstein will explore three different shades of meaning for the term "dignity" that are each relevant to a different sort of ethical conversation. The talk will not present a single theory of dignity or a single set of recommendations for policy. Instead, it will endeavor to map out the landscape of opinions on this issue and highlight the place of various policy choices within that landscape. The goal of this work is to facilitate the debate on issues that confront Americans in the news on a daily basis.