Erk Health, Rights and Dignity

Philosophical Reflections on an Alleged Human Right
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-3-11-031971-2
Verlag: De Gruyter
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Deutsch, 385 Seiten

The idea that there is such a thing as a human right to health has become pervasive. It has not only been acknowledged by a variety of international law documents and thus entered the political realm but is also defended in academic circles. Yet, despite its prominence the human right to health remains something of a mystery - especially with respect to its philosophical underpinnings. Addressing this unfortunate and intellectually dangerous insufficiency, this book critically assesses the stipulation that health is a human right which - as international law holds - derives from the inherent dignity of the human person. Scrutinising the concepts underlying this stipulation (health, rights, dignity), it shall conclude that such right cannot be upheld from a philosophical perspective.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Erk, Christian

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politische Kultur Menschenrechte, Bürgerrechte
• Rechtswissenschaften Recht, Rechtswissenschaft Allgemein Rechtsphilosophie, Rechtsethik
• Rechtswissenschaften Internationales Recht und Europarecht Internationales Recht Internationale Menschen- und Minderheitenrechte, Kinderrechte
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Rechtsphilosophie, Rechtsethik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;I THE HUMAN RIGHT TO HEALTH: A PERVASIVE BUT OPAQUE IDEA;17
1.1;1 Human Rights: A Practice with Little Theory;18
1.2;2 The Human Right to Health;25
1.2.1;2.1 The Human Right to Health in International Law;25
1.2.2;2.2 The Lacking Theoretical Foundation of the Human Right to Health;27
1.3;3 Purpose and Structure of this Thesis;30
2;II UNVEILING THE ENIGMA OF HEALTH;37
2.1;1 Preconditions of Health: Life and Death;40
2.1.1;1.1 Human Life;41
2.1.1.1;1.1.1 Biological Life;44
2.1.1.1.1;1.1.1.1 The Empirical Marks of Biological Life;45
2.1.1.1.2;1.1.1.2 The Philosophical Marks of Biological Life;48
2.1.1.2;1.1.2 Mental Life;52
2.1.1.3;1.1.3 The Human Soul as the First Principle of Human Life;54
2.1.2;1.2 Death;56
2.2;2 A Comprehensive Theory of Health;58
2.2.1;2.1 Contemporary Concepts of Health and what we can learn from them;58
2.2.1.1;2.1.1 The WHO’s Understanding of Health and its Deficiencies;59
2.2.1.2;2.1.2 Boorse's Reductionist Theory of Health;61
2.2.1.2.1;2.1.2.1 The Main Elements of Boorse’s Theory;62
2.2.1.2.2;2.1.2.2 Exposing the Deficiencies in Boorse’s Theory;63
2.2.1.3;2.1.3 Nordenfelt’s Welfare Theory of Health;70
2.2.1.3.1;2.1.3.1 The Main Elements of Nordenfelt’s Theory;70
2.2.1.3.2;2.1.3.2 Exposing the Deficiencies in Nordenfelt’s Theory;73
2.2.2;2.2 Health as Norm and State;80
2.2.2.1;2.2.1 The Negative Dimensions of Health: The Triad of Unhealth;85
2.2.2.1.1;2.2.1.1 Illness;85
2.2.2.1.2;2.2.1.2 Disease;86
2.2.2.1.3;2.2.1.3 Sickness;87
2.2.2.1.4;2.2.1.4 Manifestations of Unhealth;88
2.2.2.2;2.2.2 A Positive Understanding of Health: The Triad of Health;93
2.2.2.2.1;2.2.2.1 Perceived Health;94
2.2.2.2.2;2.2.2.2 Bio-Medical Health;95
2.2.2.2.3;2.2.2.3 Social Health;97
2.2.2.2.4;2.2.2.4 Manifestations of Health;97
2.2.2.3;2.2.3 The Concept of Health as Norm and State: Room for Improvement;100
2.2.3;2.3 A Complementary Understanding of Health: Health as Good Habit;103
2.2.3.1;2.3.1 Determinants of Health;104
2.2.3.2;2.3.2 Behavioural Pathogens and Salutogens: The Relationship between Health and Behaviour;110
2.2.3.3;2.3.3 A Primer on Habits and Virtues;115
2.2.3.3.1;2.3.3.1 Habitus;116
2.2.3.3.2;2.3.3.2 Virtue;121
2.2.3.3.3;2.3.3.3 The Powers of the Human Soul;125
2.2.3.3.3.1;2.3.3.3.1 Intellectual Power: Intellect, Intelligence, Reason or Mind;129
2.2.3.3.3.2;2.3.3.3.2 Appetitive Power (‘Strebevermögen’);130
2.2.3.4;2.3.4 Health as Good Habit;137
2.2.4;2.4 A Comprehensive Theory of Health;144
3;III JUSTICE, DIGNITY, RIGHTS AND DUTIES: THE PHILOSOPHY OF HUMAN RIGHTS;149
3.1;1 Justice, Rights and Duties;151
3.2;2 Analytical Fundamentals: The Concepts of ‘Right’ and‘Duty’;159
3.2.1;2.1 The Concept of ‘Rights’;159
3.2.1.1;2.1.1 The Hohfeldian Instances of Rights;160
3.2.1.1.1;2.1.1.1 Claim-Rights;160
3.2.1.1.2;2.1.1.2 Liberty-Rights;162
3.2.1.1.3;2.1.1.3 Power-Rights;164
3.2.1.1.4;2.1.1.4 Immunity-Rights;164
3.2.1.2;2.1.2 Molecular or Cluster-Rights;165
3.2.1.3;2.1.3 Further Analytical Characteristics of Rights;165
3.2.2;2.2 The Concept of ‘Duty’;168
3.2.2.1;2.2.1 Analytical Characteristics of Duties;169
3.2.2.2;2.2.2 Ought Implies Can;172
3.3;3 The Morality of Rights and Duties;175
3.3.1;3.1 Legal, Conventional and Moral Rights/Duties;181
3.3.2;3.2 Bentham’s Fallacy: If Legal Rights are a ‘Child of Law’, then whose Child is Law?;186
3.3.3;3.3 The Analytics of Moral Rights and Duties;195
3.3.3.1;3.3.1 Is there such a Thing as a Moral Positive Claim-Right?;199
3.3.3.2;3.3.2 The Exception to the Rule: The Principle of Extreme Necessity;211
3.3.3.3;3.3.3 The Kinds of Moral Rights and Duties;223
3.3.4;3.4 Human Rights and Duties as a Special Class of Moral Rights and Duties;224
3.3.5;3.5 The Foundation of Moral Rights and Duties;227
3.3.6;3.6 A Short Commentary on the Is-Ought-Problem;234
3.4;4 The Dignity of Human Beings;239
3.4.1;4.1 The Foundation of Human Rights in Human Dignity;240
3.4.1.1;4.1.1 Understanding Human Dignity;245
3.4.1.2;4.1.2 Facets of Human Dignity;246
3.4.2;4.2 The Four Dimensions and Sources of Human Dignity;252
3.4.2.1;4.2.1 Ontological Dignity: Being a Person;253
3.4.2.1.1;4.2.1.1 What it means to be a Person;254
3.4.2.1.1.1;4.2.1.1.1 The Person as Individual Substance;257
3.4.2.1.1.2;4.2.1.1.2 The Person as Individual Substance of a Rational Nature;264
3.4.2.1.2;4.2.1.2 Only Human Beings can be granted Personhood;266
3.4.2.1.3;4.2.1.3 All Human Beings are Persons from the Moment of Conception;269
3.4.2.1.4;4.2.1.4 Characteristics of Ontological Dignity;280
3.4.2.2;4.2.2 Inflorescent Dignity;282
3.4.2.2.1;4.2.2.1 Dignity of Actual Rational Consciousness: Functioning as a Person;282
3.4.2.2.2;4.2.2.2 Acquired Dignity: Fulfilment of the Personal Vocation toTranscendence and Moral Dignity;294
3.4.2.3;4.2.3 Bestowed/Contingent Dignity: Dignity as Gift;297
3.4.2.4;4.2.4 Human Dignity and its Four Dimensions: Concluding Remarks;300
3.4.2.4.1;4.2.4.1 The Close Relationship between the Four Dimensions of Human Dignity;300
3.4.2.4.2;4.2.4.2 Not all Human Beings have Equal Human Dignity;301
3.5;5 From the Dignity of Human Beings to Human Rights;303
3.5.1;5.1 Respect: The Mediator between Dignity and Human Rights;304
3.5.2;5.2 What Forms of Human Rights are there?;307
3.5.3;5.3 Human Rights: Strict versus Non-Strict;311
4;IV HEALTH: A HUMAN RIGHT?;315
4.1;1 A Summary of what has been established so far;316
4.1.1;1.1 Health;316
4.1.2;1.2 Human Rights;317
4.2;2 Health and Ontological Dignity: Is Health a Human Right?;320
4.3;3 A Marginal Note: Is there no Right to Health, at all?;323
4.3.1;3.1 A Moral Right to Health grounded in the Human Right to Life;324
4.3.2;3.2 A Moral Right to Health grounded in the Duty to Health;331
4.3.2.1;3.2.1 A Primer on Natural Law Theory;333
4.3.2.2;3.2.2 Natural Law and Health;339
4.3.3;3.3 The Moral Right to Health: A Summary;342
4.4;4 Epilegomena: Concluding Remarks and Implications;344
5;INDICES;349
6;List of Abbreviations;350
7;List of Tables, Figures and Illustrations;351
8;References;352
9;Legislation and International Treaties and Conventions;352
10;Literature Cited in Abbreviation;355
11;Bibliography;362