Towards a social concept of the person
pp. 129-135
in: , Personhood and health care, Berlin, Springer, 2001Abstract
In bioethics, the concept of the person plays an important role. The person is predominantly seen as a rational, self-conscious being who directs his own life, independently from other beings. This rationalistic and individualistic concept of personhood plays an important role in the philosophical foundation of the principle of respect for autonomy, one of the main principles in the field of bioethics. According to this principle, the individual has the right to decide about his or her own treatment and care, while caregivers have the obligation to respect the choices of the patient regarding care.