Toward a Critical Theory of Harm: Ableism, Normativity, and Transability (On Body Integrity Identity Disorder)

APA Newsletter on Philosophy and Medicine 16 (1):37-45 (2016)
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Abstract

Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) is a very rare condition describing those with an intense desire or need to move from a state of ability to relative impairment, typically through the amputation of one or more limbs. In this paper, I draw upon research in critical disability studies and philosophy of disability to critique arguments based upon the principle of nonmaleficence against such surgery. I demonstrate how the action-relative concept of harm in such arguments relies upon suspect notions of biological and statistical normality, and I contend that each fail to provide normative guidance. I then propose a critical theory of harm, one marked by substantive engagement with both empirical and reflective inquiry across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. I conclude by discussing the implications of this theory and how it might enrich ongoing debates in bioethics, philosophy of disability, and the health humanities.

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Joel Michael Reynolds
Georgetown University

Citations of this work

Renewing Medicine’s basic concepts: on ambiguity.Joel Michael Reynolds - 2018 - Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine 13 (1):8.

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References found in this work

The Minority Body: A Theory of Disability.Elizabeth Barnes - 2016 - Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.
Speciesism and moral status.Peter Singer - 2009 - Metaphilosophy 40 (3-4):567-581.
A libertarian case for mandatory vaccination.Jason Brennan - 2018 - Journal of Medical Ethics 44 (1):37-43.

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