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Harris, harmed states, and sexed bodies.

Authors :
Sparrow R
Source :
Journal of medical ethics [J Med Ethics] 2011 May; Vol. 37 (5), pp. 276-9.
Publication Year :
2011

Abstract

This paper criticises John Harris's attempts to defend an account of a 'harmed condition' that can stand independently 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.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
1473-4257
Volume :
37
Issue :
5
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Journal of medical ethics
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
21508192
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.2010.039982