Skip to main content
Log in

Life and Death Matters: Losing a Sense of the Value of Human Beings

  • Published:
Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The essay combines a specific and a more general theme. In attacking ‘the doctrine of the sanctity of human life’ Singer takes himself thereby to be opposing the conviction that human life has special value. I argue that this conviction goes deep in our lives in many ways that do not depend on what Singer identifies as central to that ‘doctrine’, and that his attack therefore misses its main target. I argue more generally that Singer’s own moral philosophy affords only an impoverished and distorted sense of the value of human life and human beings. In purporting to dig below the supposedly illusion–ridden surface of our thinking about value, Singer in fact often leads us away from the robust terrain of our lived experience into rhetorical, and sometimes brutal, fantasy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • C Diamond (1991) The Realistic Spirit: Wittgenstein, Philosophy and the Mind MIT Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Singer and His Critics. Edited by D. Jamieson. Oxford: Blackwell, 1999.

  • H. Kuhse P. Singer (1985) Should the Baby Live? Oxford University Press Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Shepperdson, B. ‘Abortion and Euthanasia of Down’s Syndrome Children – The Parents’ View’. Journal of Medical Ethics Vol. 9, No. 3 (September 1983): 152–157

  • P Singer (1976) Animal Liberation Jonathan Cape London

    Google Scholar 

  • P Singer (1979) Practical Ethics Cambridge University Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • P Singer (Eds) (1986) Applied Ethics Oxford University Press Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • P Singer (1994) Rethinking Life and Death Melbourne Text Publishing Company

    Google Scholar 

  • P Singer (1995) How are We to Live? Ethics in an Age of Enlightenment Prometheus Books New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Swift, J. Gulliver’s Travels and Other Writings. Edited by R. Quintana. New York: Random House, 1958.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher Cordner.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cordner, C. Life and Death Matters: Losing a Sense of the Value of Human Beings. Theor Med Bioeth 26, 207–226 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11017-005-3980-1

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11017-005-3980-1

Key Words

Navigation