Personhood and relational persons

pp. 333-345

in: David C. Thomasma, David N. Weisstub, Christian Hervé, Personhood and health care, Berlin, Springer, 2001

Abstract

The concept of personhood has been influential in choosing areas of medical research and goals in health care. The advantages of being classified as a person depend, in large part, upon the particular concept of personhood used. Disagreement about the appropriate criteria for personhood continues to exist. But, most concepts of personhood include the claims that persons are deserving of more respect than nonpersons and that persons are more valuable than nonpersons. So, the extent to which one is recognized as a person affects the extent to which one is valued and respected.