Susan F. Krantz - Refuting Peter Singers ethical theory: the importance of human dignity

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Refuting Peter Singers Ethical Theory

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The Importance of Human Dignity

Susan Lufkin Krantz

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Krantz, Susan Lufkin.
Refuting Peter Singers ethical theory : the importance of human dignity /
Susan Lufkin Krantz.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0275970833 (alk. paper)
1. Singer, Peter, 1946 I. Title.
B5704.S554K73 2002
170.92dc21 2001036696

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.

Copyright 2002 by Susan Lufkin Krantz

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2001036696

ISBN: 0-275-97083-3

First published in 2002

Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881

An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.praeger.com

Printed in the United States of America

The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.481984).

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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This book is dedicated to
RICHARD A. GABRIEL
teacher, scholar, humanist, and dear friend

and to the memory of
RODERICK M. CHISHOLM
19161999
who taught us all that metaphysics still matters

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This book could not have been written without a lot of help from my friends. Prof. Joseph Spoerl first inspired me to begin thinking about the work of Peter Singer when I foolishly mentioned that I couldnt understand why he was spending a sabbatical on that topic. The more I read, though, the more I saw the importance of it. Prof. Richard Gabriel encouraged me to turn my thoughts about Singers ethics into a book, pointing out that the time is ripe for it. Dr. Paul Gagliardi and Alison Felder Gagliardi, RN, kindly agreed to read the manuscript with a view to spotting errors in medical terminology. Professors Richard Gabriel, Benedict Guevin, Joseph Spoerl, John van Ingen, and Joseph Uemura all gave generously of their time to read earlier versions of the book, and offered many suggestions for improvement. Prof. Barbara Stahl helped me to understand better the biological issues involved. Able assistance by Lucille Murrell and Paul Taglini of the Department of Information Technology at St. Anselm College also has been much appreciated.Intheend,whileItakefullresponsibilityfortheerrorsand gaps that remain, I am hopeful that those who read the book will be prompted to think about the ethical issues of our day in light of genu

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inely human values, and to apply their intelligence in the very necessary project of developing a healthy moral image for the future.

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During the early centuries of the first millennium A.D., in a period now known as Late Antiquity, pagan philosophers were held in high esteem as one variety of holy men, uniquely in touch with the gods and able to mediate divine wisdom to the common people. The ideas those philosophers propounded were often far removed from the daily realities that most people faced, yet they carried weight culturally because the philosophers themselves were so respected. Ordinary people did not consider themselves qualified to criticize the philosophers ideas thanks to the general otherworldly aura surrounding philosophy.