- Chicago, Illinois, United States
Hille Haker
Loyola University Chicago, Theology, Faculty Member
- Theology, Critical Theory, Political Philosophy, Philosophy Of Religion, Eschatology and Apocalypticism, Liberation Theology, and 24 moreRhetorical Criticism, Theological Hermeneutics, Feminist Theology, Christian Ethics, Anarchism, Anarchist Economics, Radical Political Economy, Anti Capitalist Social Movements, Participatory Democracy, Social Anthropology, Development anthropology, Political Ecology, Food Sovereignty, Human Rights, Ethics, Theological Ethics, Normative Ethics, Hermeneutics and Narrative, Feminist Ethics, Narrative and Identity, Self and Identity, Recognition Theory, Franz Kafka, and Paul Ricoeuredit
SARS-CoV-2 in the United States. An Account of a Tumultuous Year. In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed deep structural problems that have not been addressed for decades and exacerbated the effect of the virus disease... more
SARS-CoV-2 in the United States. An Account of a Tumultuous Year. In the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed deep structural problems that have not been addressed for decades and exacerbated the effect of the virus disease in several ways. In addition to the political crisis, the mismanagement and the radically unjust healthcare system rendered millions of people living in the Unites States more vulnerable than was necessary. The essay shines a light on some aspects of the crisis, the relationship of religion and politics in the US, and the underlying systemic injustice. It ends with a warning to the Church to change its priorities, from the culture war to the social injustice, that is not to the least marked by racism in society, church, and Christian theology.
While the concept of responsibility is a cornerstone of Christian ethics, recognition theory still lacks a thorough theological–ethical analysis. This essay seeks to fill the gap and develop normative ethics of recognition and... more
While the concept of responsibility is a cornerstone of Christian ethics, recognition theory still lacks a thorough theological–ethical analysis. This essay seeks to fill the gap and develop normative ethics of recognition and responsibility. The first part provides a systematic analysis of the conceptual elements of recognition, emphasizing the need to focus on misrecognition as a heuristic tool and ethical priority. While recognition coincides with responsivity and attentiveness in the encounter of self and other, responsibility adds to this the moral accountability for acts, practices, structures, and institutions, rendering recognition and responsibility interrelated but also distinct principles of morality. This normative analysis is then correlated to the hermeneutical, narrative ethics of Christian ethics. The founding narrative of biblical ethics, the Cain and Abel narrative in Gen 4, is interpreted as a dialectic of recognition and responsibility. Both exegesis and ethics profit from this interdisciplinary and correlative approach between philosophical and biblical ethics. Finally, the ethics of recognition and responsibility, which emerges from the Frankfurt School critical theory, is confronted with exemplary indigenous approaches focusing on mutual responsibility as the foundation of ecological ethics. Christian ethics of recognition and responsibility resonates with this approach, yet emphasizes the distinctiveness of human interactions and the demands of moral responsibility. View Full-Text
Keywords: Christian ethics; critical theory; narrative ethics; recognition; responsibility; Honneth; Waldenfels; Levinas; Ricœur
Keywords: Christian ethics; critical theory; narrative ethics; recognition; responsibility; Honneth; Waldenfels; Levinas; Ricœur
In a small, very readable and well-argued book, John Wijngaards presents his decadeslong research on women's ministry. The reader of What They Don't Teach You in Catholic College: Women in the Priesthood and the Mind of Christ is invited... more
In a small, very readable and well-argued book, John Wijngaards presents his decadeslong research on women's ministry. The reader of What They Don't Teach You in Catholic College: Women in the Priesthood and the Mind of Christ is invited to follow him on a journey that recalls his own awakening shortly after the Second Vatican Council to his present scholarship on the issue. Wijngaards' verdict is unequivocal: If the church continues to ignore insights from Scripture, reason and experience in favor of the tradition, it perpetuates a cultural prejudice that has held back millions of women. Given the changes in similar teachings, slavery in particular, there is no reason why the position toward women could not change. Examining Scripture takes up most of the book. It is moving to see the argument develop in close Scripture scholar John Wijngaards lays out the reasons to ordain ...
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This essay explores the contribution of two works of German literature to a decolonial narrative ethics. It analyzes the structures of colonialism, taking narratives as a medium of and for ethical reflection, and reinterprets the ethical... more
This essay explores the contribution of two works of German literature to a decolonial narrative ethics. It analyzes the structures of colonialism, taking narratives as a medium of and for ethical reflection, and reinterprets the ethical concepts of recognition and responsibility. This essay examines two stories. Franz Kafka's Report to an Academy (1917) addresses the biological racism of the German scientists around 1900, unmasking the racism that renders apes (or particular people) the pre-life of human beings (or particular human beings). It also demonstrates that the politics of recognition, based on conditional (mis-)recognition, must be replaced by an ethics of mutual recognition. Uwe Timm's Morenga (1978) uses the cross-reference of history and fiction as an aesthetic principle, narrating the history of the German genocide of the Nama and Herero people at the beginning of the 20th century. Intercultural understanding, the novel shows, is impossible when it is based on the conditional, colonial (mis-)recognition that echoes Kafka's unmasking; furthermore, the novel illuminates the interrelation of recognition and responsibility that requires not only an aesthetic ethics of reading based on attentiveness and response but also a political ethics that confronts the (German) readers as historically situated agents who must take responsibility for their past.
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In The Future of Human Nature, Jürgen Habermas raises the question of whether the embryonic genetic diagnosis and genetic modification threatens the foundations of the species ethics that underlies current understandings of morality.... more
In The Future of Human Nature, Jürgen Habermas raises the question of whether the embryonic genetic diagnosis and genetic modification threatens the foundations of the species ethics that underlies current understandings of morality. While morality, in the normative sense, is based on moral interactions enabling communicative action, justification, and reciprocal respect, the reification involved in the new technologies may preclude individuals to uphold a sense of the undisposability (Unverfügbarkeit) of human life and the inviolability (Unantastbarkeit) of human beings that is necessary for their own identity as well as for reciprocal relations. Engaging with liberal bioethics and Catholic approaches to bioethics, the article clarifies how Habermas's position offers a radical critique of liberal autonomy while maintaining its postmetaphysical stance. The essay argues that Habermas's approach may guide the question of rights of future generations regarding germline gene editing. But it calls for a different turn in the conversation between philosophy and theology, namely one that emphasizes the necessary attention to rights violations and injustices as a common, postmetaphysical starting point for critical theory and critical theology alike.
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Hannah Arendt’s work is often read as an early reminder that the internationally promoted human rights regime, especially regarding refugees, may be merely a rhetorical reference, without the will or authority for international... more
Hannah Arendt’s work is often read as an early reminder that the internationally promoted human rights regime, especially regarding refugees, may be merely a rhetorical reference, without the will or authority for international political action.
Arendt’s analysis is contrasted to Ricœur’s political ethics. Ricœur agrees with Arendt that legal authority must rest upon power (Macht) and not domination (Herrschaft), but he insists that the undercurrent of common power is the moral capability of an agent. Ricœur’s ethics of responsibility systematically links ethical life and morality with political-practical deliberations.
Regarding the human rights regime, its critique must begin with the question of whether its current practice regarding migrants and refugees still reflects its ethical-moral origin, the ‘aiming of the good life with and for others in just institutions’, or whether it has turned into yet another regime of domination.
The essay examines the ramifications of Ricœur’s ethics for the current crisis of refugees and migration, and it argues that he offers a correction useful for the ethical foundation of human rights.
Keywords: Hannah Arendt, Paul Ricœur, Human Rights, Refugees, Power, Responsibility, Recognition
Arendt’s analysis is contrasted to Ricœur’s political ethics. Ricœur agrees with Arendt that legal authority must rest upon power (Macht) and not domination (Herrschaft), but he insists that the undercurrent of common power is the moral capability of an agent. Ricœur’s ethics of responsibility systematically links ethical life and morality with political-practical deliberations.
Regarding the human rights regime, its critique must begin with the question of whether its current practice regarding migrants and refugees still reflects its ethical-moral origin, the ‘aiming of the good life with and for others in just institutions’, or whether it has turned into yet another regime of domination.
The essay examines the ramifications of Ricœur’s ethics for the current crisis of refugees and migration, and it argues that he offers a correction useful for the ethical foundation of human rights.
Keywords: Hannah Arendt, Paul Ricœur, Human Rights, Refugees, Power, Responsibility, Recognition
Liberal ethics presupposes a concept of the sovereign, independent individual who is able to make choices that concur with his or her overall goal of freedom and well-being. While mainstream bioethics does not deny its close ties with... more
Liberal ethics presupposes a concept of the sovereign, independent individual who is able to make choices that concur with his or her overall goal of freedom and well-being. While mainstream bioethics does not deny its close ties with liberalism, the 'liberal' dimension of bioethics is often spelled out as political rather than economic liberalism. Given the economic undercurrent of many medical services, bioethics must acknowledge, however, that it not only assumes negative freedom rights of an individual over against political regulations, but also promotes a concept of the self that is tailored to the model of consumption of economic goods. Communitarian ethics, here discussed as care ethics, criticizes autonomy as preference-autonomy and counters it with the concept of embeddedness and interdependence that demands the acknowledgment of positive rights to care. But like its counterpart that has no moral criterion for the rights patients can claim, care ethics does not offer a moral criterion of which needs demand the care and are hence justified. My paper therefore proposes a new approach of a qualified universalism based on human rights. It takes up the politically and globally accepted framework of human rights but confronts it with the experiences in different contexts, cultures, and value systems. Taking up the valuable insights of liberalism and communitarianism, I argue that only a concept of vulnerable agency is equipped to deal with the interdependence of human beings, ultimately to be spelled out in view of the ethics of dignity. I will conclude with a discussion between Paul Ricoeur and Emmanuel Levinas about the concept of the 'moral self'. Both authors acknowledge the social nature of the individual, but they offer different solutions to the claims others make – and may make – on the moral self. It is the capability to respond responsibly to someone else's plea to be cared for that constitutes the moral self. The implication for bioethics is that the self must be seen in the dialectic between passivity (vulnerability) and activity (agency), which is necessarily entangled in relations with others who are vulnerable agents, too.
In this study, based on my dissertation, I undertake the exploration of literary life stories (my term for fictional autobiographies and biographies) as a medium of ethical reflections and for ethical theory. Starting with the... more
In this study, based on my dissertation, I undertake the exploration of literary life stories (my term for fictional autobiographies and biographies) as a medium of ethical reflections and for ethical theory.
Starting with the philosophical analysis of the 'social self' theory in sociology and practical philosophy, the second part engages the debate on ethical life and morality as it re-emerged in the 1990s: Habermas, Honneth, Taylor, Hans Kraemer, and Paul Ricoeur all offer particular interpretations, none of which are entirely satisfying, with Paul Ricoeur's 'little ethics', however, promising the best approach for an interpretation of narrative and moral identity.
The theoretical analysis is put to test in the interpretation of a literary life story, namely Uwe Johnson's Jahrestage (Anniversaries). The novel belongs to the tradition of modern 'exeriments' with biographies after the loss of trust in any linear life story. How the insight of this 'fragmentation' is played out without risking to lose the question of moral identity and responsibility, is spelled out in the novel. The interpretation is therefore an attempt to learn from literature how to maintain one's moral identity - at a particular space, at a particular time in history, and with a particular challenge for moral responsibility.
Starting with the philosophical analysis of the 'social self' theory in sociology and practical philosophy, the second part engages the debate on ethical life and morality as it re-emerged in the 1990s: Habermas, Honneth, Taylor, Hans Kraemer, and Paul Ricoeur all offer particular interpretations, none of which are entirely satisfying, with Paul Ricoeur's 'little ethics', however, promising the best approach for an interpretation of narrative and moral identity.
The theoretical analysis is put to test in the interpretation of a literary life story, namely Uwe Johnson's Jahrestage (Anniversaries). The novel belongs to the tradition of modern 'exeriments' with biographies after the loss of trust in any linear life story. How the insight of this 'fragmentation' is played out without risking to lose the question of moral identity and responsibility, is spelled out in the novel. The interpretation is therefore an attempt to learn from literature how to maintain one's moral identity - at a particular space, at a particular time in history, and with a particular challenge for moral responsibility.
Handbuch Bioethik, ed. Dieter Sturma, Bert Heinrichs, Stuttgart (Metzler) 2015, 293-299.
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Found in: Walter Schaupp (ed.): Ethik und Empirie. Gegenwärtige Herausforderungen für Moraltheologie und Sozialethik (Studien zur Theologischen Ethik), Freiburg i.Br. (Herder), 19-40, 2015.
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This article is concerned with the implications of the institutional corruption of healthcare bodies and their specific mode of operation. Examples are adduced to show how the influence of commercial research and the development of drugs... more
This article is concerned with the implications of the institutional corruption of healthcare bodies and their specific mode of operation. Examples are adduced to show how the influence of commercial research and the development of drugs has increased steadily since the 1980s, as pharmaceutical companies have used and continue to use universities, hospitals, and medical practices, scientific journals and regulatory authorities to market medicines, although those facilities have no influence on corporate priorities.
From: 3. Structural Corruption in Healthcare Institutions In: Concilium 5/2014: Korruption/Corruption (in six languages).
From: 3. Structural Corruption in Healthcare Institutions In: Concilium 5/2014: Korruption/Corruption (in six languages).
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ABSTRACT Taking Catholic sexual ethics and liberal feminist ethics as points of departure, this essay argues that both frameworks are ill-prepared to deal with the moral problems raised by sex trafficking: while Catholic sexual ethics is... more
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Taking Catholic sexual ethics and liberal feminist ethics as points of departure, this essay argues that both frameworks are ill-prepared to deal with the moral problems raised by sex trafficking: while Catholic sexual ethics is grounded in a normative understanding of sexuality, liberal feminist ethics argues for women’s sexual autonomy, resting upon freedom of action and consent. From a perspective that attends both to the phenomenological interpretation of embodied selves and the Kantian normative interpretation of dignity, it becomes possible to critique both the Catholic and the liberal feminist frameworks of ethics. I argue that Catholic sexual ethics requires a reconceptualization as social ethics in order to meet the challenges of our present time, but that the shift is possible without giving up the moral imperatives of both Catholic and feminist ethics to protect human dignity and women’s rights.
KEY WORDS: Catholic sexual ethics, feminist ethics, sex trafficking, human dignity, women’s rights, social ethics, justice
Citation Information: Feminist Ethics Reconsidered – The Case of Trafficking, Journal of Religious Ethics 43 (2) 2015, 218-243.
Available Online: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jore.2015.43.issue-2/issuetoc
Taking Catholic sexual ethics and liberal feminist ethics as points of departure, this essay argues that both frameworks are ill-prepared to deal with the moral problems raised by sex trafficking: while Catholic sexual ethics is grounded in a normative understanding of sexuality, liberal feminist ethics argues for women’s sexual autonomy, resting upon freedom of action and consent. From a perspective that attends both to the phenomenological interpretation of embodied selves and the Kantian normative interpretation of dignity, it becomes possible to critique both the Catholic and the liberal feminist frameworks of ethics. I argue that Catholic sexual ethics requires a reconceptualization as social ethics in order to meet the challenges of our present time, but that the shift is possible without giving up the moral imperatives of both Catholic and feminist ethics to protect human dignity and women’s rights.
KEY WORDS: Catholic sexual ethics, feminist ethics, sex trafficking, human dignity, women’s rights, social ethics, justice
Citation Information: Feminist Ethics Reconsidered – The Case of Trafficking, Journal of Religious Ethics 43 (2) 2015, 218-243.
Available Online: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jore.2015.43.issue-2/issuetoc
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While the UN introduced the paradigm of ‘human security’ in the 1990s, the post 9/11-legislation has returned to the paradigm of national security, in the name of ‘homeland’ security. The paper explores the ramifications of this... more
While the UN introduced the paradigm of ‘human security’ in the 1990s, the post 9/11-legislation has returned to the paradigm of national security, in the name of ‘homeland’ security. The paper explores the ramifications of this reorientation in view of new and emerging security and surveillance technologies. It argues that a culture of surveillance has emerged that contradicts the vision and values of the human security concept. Regarding the intersection of political and private security and surveillance technologies, the ubiquity and entanglement of surveillance technologies with everyday life goes far beyond the purpose of security. Therefore, the paper argues for a reorientation that is backed by moral and political theory, and a (new) social contract that is based on the concept of social freedom, deliberative democracy, and a human rights-oriented concept of justice.
From: Journal of Political Science and Public Affairs 3/1: 145, 2015, 1-6.
Available: http://www.esciencecentral.org/journals/political-sciences-public-affairs-abstract.php?abstract_id=48774
From: Journal of Political Science and Public Affairs 3/1: 145, 2015, 1-6.
Available: http://www.esciencecentral.org/journals/political-sciences-public-affairs-abstract.php?abstract_id=48774
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On 21 March 2011 President José Manuel Barroso requested the EGE to draft an Opinion on the ethical implications of information and communication technologies and to produce, subsequently and separately, an Opinion on the ethical... more
On 21 March 2011 President José Manuel Barroso requested the EGE to draft an Opinion on the ethical implications of information and communication technologies and to produce, subsequently and separately, an Opinion on the ethical implications of security technologies, with due attention given to the development of security technologies and to surveillance technologies. The EGE has provided the Commission with its Opinion on Ethics of Information and Communication Technologies on 22 February 2012. It also drafted an Opinion on Research, Production and Use of Energy that was published on the 16th January 2013, in response to an intervening request from the President of the Commission. The present Opinion addresses the issues of security and surveillance technologies from an ethical perspective. As the group prepared the re- port, the revelations of Edward Snowden emphasised how important a reorganisation and reinterpretation of our approach to security and surveillance is. Indeed the predicament of data flows and surveillance activities thrown into sharp relief by these revelations form part of the evolving backdrop against which this Opinion is set.
National security is the responsibility of the Member States, but the Lisbon Treaty, and particularly the Charter of Fundamental Rights embedded in it provides for action by the Union where necessary to protect the rights of individual citizens. In addition, the EU shares competence with member states as regards the internal security of the Union and has established an Internal Security Strategy to identify and coordinate action against common threats. In this opinion we address the manner in which surveillance has been enhanced due to the availability of new technologies and the means to record and analyse and retain vast amounts of data provided by advances in information and communication technologies.
While national security or state security paradigms pertain to a state’s ability to defend itself against external threats, the notion of human security holds that the referent for security is the individual rather than the state. This is to be considered against the backdrop of the forms of security expected from the Westphalian nation-state (46) (with the social contract on which it is premised calling upon the state to ensure the security of its citizens) and against the backdrop of an increasing technologically mediated attention to border control as well as to the ‘enemy within’.
Security procedures lie within the compass of the State that in addition may procure services from national or international companies to provide the facilities for collection and management of information that the security services require. Information gathered about individuals or organisations may then be held either by the State, where democratic accountability ought to exist, or by private entities where the conditions for handling sensitive material may not be in the public domain and may possibly be retained or may not only be used for the purposes of a particular State. The Opinion addresses the principles by which these forms of surveillance should be governed.
In addition, surveillance of the public by companies or by other individuals should be subject to conditions, and again, the opinion addresses the principles that govern these forms of ‘commercial’ or individual surveillance, and the manner in which the data so gathered may be used as part of a data mining or profiling system by private entities or the state.
The digital revolution and subsequent advances in mobile, wireless and networked devices have significantly contributed to the development of security and surveillance technologies. New technologies offer the possibility of recording the everyday activities of billions of individuals across the globe. Our mobile phones can identify and pinpoint our location at any given moment, loyalty cards allow commercial entities to analyse our spending and track our personal preferences, keystroke software monitors our performance and productivity in the workplace and our electronic communications can be screened for key words or phrases by intelligence services. Moreover, personal data concerning our health, employment, travel and electronic communications are stored in databases, and data mining techniques allow for large amounts of personal data from these disparate sources to be organised and analysed, thereby facilitating the discovery of previously unknown relationships within these data. Security technologies are no longer discrete; the
trend is toward convergence, creating more powerful networked systems. Thus, our everyday lives are scrutinised by many actors as never before, all made possible by developments in technology together with political choices or lack thereof.
National security is the responsibility of the Member States, but the Lisbon Treaty, and particularly the Charter of Fundamental Rights embedded in it provides for action by the Union where necessary to protect the rights of individual citizens. In addition, the EU shares competence with member states as regards the internal security of the Union and has established an Internal Security Strategy to identify and coordinate action against common threats. In this opinion we address the manner in which surveillance has been enhanced due to the availability of new technologies and the means to record and analyse and retain vast amounts of data provided by advances in information and communication technologies.
While national security or state security paradigms pertain to a state’s ability to defend itself against external threats, the notion of human security holds that the referent for security is the individual rather than the state. This is to be considered against the backdrop of the forms of security expected from the Westphalian nation-state (46) (with the social contract on which it is premised calling upon the state to ensure the security of its citizens) and against the backdrop of an increasing technologically mediated attention to border control as well as to the ‘enemy within’.
Security procedures lie within the compass of the State that in addition may procure services from national or international companies to provide the facilities for collection and management of information that the security services require. Information gathered about individuals or organisations may then be held either by the State, where democratic accountability ought to exist, or by private entities where the conditions for handling sensitive material may not be in the public domain and may possibly be retained or may not only be used for the purposes of a particular State. The Opinion addresses the principles by which these forms of surveillance should be governed.
In addition, surveillance of the public by companies or by other individuals should be subject to conditions, and again, the opinion addresses the principles that govern these forms of ‘commercial’ or individual surveillance, and the manner in which the data so gathered may be used as part of a data mining or profiling system by private entities or the state.
The digital revolution and subsequent advances in mobile, wireless and networked devices have significantly contributed to the development of security and surveillance technologies. New technologies offer the possibility of recording the everyday activities of billions of individuals across the globe. Our mobile phones can identify and pinpoint our location at any given moment, loyalty cards allow commercial entities to analyse our spending and track our personal preferences, keystroke software monitors our performance and productivity in the workplace and our electronic communications can be screened for key words or phrases by intelligence services. Moreover, personal data concerning our health, employment, travel and electronic communications are stored in databases, and data mining techniques allow for large amounts of personal data from these disparate sources to be organised and analysed, thereby facilitating the discovery of previously unknown relationships within these data. Security technologies are no longer discrete; the
trend is toward convergence, creating more powerful networked systems. Thus, our everyday lives are scrutinised by many actors as never before, all made possible by developments in technology together with political choices or lack thereof.
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Every day more than 250 million Europeans connect to the Internet, to work, learn, communicate, play and socialise. But the digital economy, which has grown rapidly around all those activities, poses new challenges to governments and... more
Every day more than 250 million Europeans connect to the Internet, to work, learn, communicate, play and socialise. But the digital economy, which has grown rapidly around all those activities, poses new challenges to governments and regulators.
Business models are likely to change significantly as Internet access allows consumers to compare goods and prices and to shop across borders. Work and play will also change dramatically, as personal interactions continue to change from word of mouth and personal meetings to include interactions unlimited by place or time. Communication and mechanisms for interacting with others have already changed beyond recognition, and this will almost certainly continue at an accelerating pace. The digital revolution has and will impact on everything people do, from their life choices to their health, their shopping, their education and the way they communicate. Most importantly, national and regional boundaries are becoming, and will continue to become, blurred as a result of the speed and accessibility of new technologies.
According to the Digital Agenda, 39 fragmented markets currently hinder European digital commerce. The lack of interoperability between national systems also acts as a brake on the development of commerce. Rising levels of crime create significant problems in providing European citizens with a reliable and safe digital environment that engenders trust. Ideas for mechanisms
to improve the use of technology across the European Union are addressed. The Agenda also recognises that ‘[T]oday, under EU law, citizens in the EU enjoy a series of rights that are relevant to the digital environment, such as freedom of expression and information, protection of personal data and privacy, requirements for transparency and universal telephone and functional Internet services and a minimum quality of service’. In
addition to the impact on commerce, there is a very considerable impact on the manner in which we live our lives. Technology is likely to impinge on us in both positive and negative ways. The Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE) emphasises that this should be built into the various technologies as they become available.
The impact of the new technologies is so far‑reaching that it is impossible to address the vast range of issues that are encompassed within the scope of information and communication technologies. In accepting the request the EGE decided to focus on Internet technologies. As the EGE will be examining security issues arising from ICT in a subsequent opinion, it will not address them in this document. There will be similarities in the ethical issues arising from the use of ICT in health, government, education, agriculture and commerce as they impact on society and individuals. The EGE will therefore deal with the ethical problems in general, using examples to highlight issues within particular domains.
ICT in the home and in the interaction of individuals is as important as the Internet, and the implications are just as far‑ reaching. This Opinion should provide suggestions for an ethically sound use of ICT.
The EGE has decided not to address issues related to IPR and ICT even though it is aware of the controversy related to the ongoing and future negotiations of the Anti‑Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
On 21 March 2011 President José Manuel Barroso asked the EGE to draft an Opinion on the ethical issues arising from the rapid expansion of information and communication technologies (ICT). President Barroso indicated that the Opinion could ‘offer a reference point to the Commission to promote a responsible use of the Digital Agenda for Europe and facilitate the societal acceptance of such an important policy item.
The EGE is aware of the changes that have come about in the lives of most citizens of the European Union, and further afield, as a result of the pervasiveness of new electronic media. The challenge is to ensure that the availability of electronic information and the use of ICT are handled in an ethical manner.
Business models are likely to change significantly as Internet access allows consumers to compare goods and prices and to shop across borders. Work and play will also change dramatically, as personal interactions continue to change from word of mouth and personal meetings to include interactions unlimited by place or time. Communication and mechanisms for interacting with others have already changed beyond recognition, and this will almost certainly continue at an accelerating pace. The digital revolution has and will impact on everything people do, from their life choices to their health, their shopping, their education and the way they communicate. Most importantly, national and regional boundaries are becoming, and will continue to become, blurred as a result of the speed and accessibility of new technologies.
According to the Digital Agenda, 39 fragmented markets currently hinder European digital commerce. The lack of interoperability between national systems also acts as a brake on the development of commerce. Rising levels of crime create significant problems in providing European citizens with a reliable and safe digital environment that engenders trust. Ideas for mechanisms
to improve the use of technology across the European Union are addressed. The Agenda also recognises that ‘[T]oday, under EU law, citizens in the EU enjoy a series of rights that are relevant to the digital environment, such as freedom of expression and information, protection of personal data and privacy, requirements for transparency and universal telephone and functional Internet services and a minimum quality of service’. In
addition to the impact on commerce, there is a very considerable impact on the manner in which we live our lives. Technology is likely to impinge on us in both positive and negative ways. The Digital Agenda for Europe (DAE) emphasises that this should be built into the various technologies as they become available.
The impact of the new technologies is so far‑reaching that it is impossible to address the vast range of issues that are encompassed within the scope of information and communication technologies. In accepting the request the EGE decided to focus on Internet technologies. As the EGE will be examining security issues arising from ICT in a subsequent opinion, it will not address them in this document. There will be similarities in the ethical issues arising from the use of ICT in health, government, education, agriculture and commerce as they impact on society and individuals. The EGE will therefore deal with the ethical problems in general, using examples to highlight issues within particular domains.
ICT in the home and in the interaction of individuals is as important as the Internet, and the implications are just as far‑ reaching. This Opinion should provide suggestions for an ethically sound use of ICT.
The EGE has decided not to address issues related to IPR and ICT even though it is aware of the controversy related to the ongoing and future negotiations of the Anti‑Counterfeiting Trade Agreement.
On 21 March 2011 President José Manuel Barroso asked the EGE to draft an Opinion on the ethical issues arising from the rapid expansion of information and communication technologies (ICT). President Barroso indicated that the Opinion could ‘offer a reference point to the Commission to promote a responsible use of the Digital Agenda for Europe and facilitate the societal acceptance of such an important policy item.
The EGE is aware of the changes that have come about in the lives of most citizens of the European Union, and further afield, as a result of the pervasiveness of new electronic media. The challenge is to ensure that the availability of electronic information and the use of ICT are handled in an ethical manner.
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On May 28, 2008 President José Manuel Barroso asked the EGE to issue an Opinion on the ethical, legal and social implications that may derive from synthetic biology. In his letter, the President advocated that ‘(...) the debate about the... more
On May 28, 2008 President José Manuel Barroso asked the EGE to issue an Opinion on the ethical, legal and social implications that may derive from synthetic biology. In his letter, the President advocated that ‘(...) the debate about the legitimacy of engineering new life forms has mainly focused on safety issues and a work on the ethical, legal and social implications that may derive from this specific use of biotechnology is still missing.’
The EGE is aware that synthetic biology raises philosophical, anthropological, ethical, legal, social and scientific issues. It is equally aware that the convergence of multiple technologies in synthetic biology, each based on different scientific paradigms, increases the com- plexity of assessing the ethics of synthetic biology and its products. The EGE has, however, agreed that, apart from safety issues associated with synthetic biology, an ethical, legal, and political governance of synthetic biology is needed in the EU and worldwide to ensure that the interests of society are respected. The Group has therefore accepted President Barroso’s request.
The EGE is aware that synthetic biology raises philosophical, anthropological, ethical, legal, social and scientific issues. It is equally aware that the convergence of multiple technologies in synthetic biology, each based on different scientific paradigms, increases the com- plexity of assessing the ethics of synthetic biology and its products. The EGE has, however, agreed that, apart from safety issues associated with synthetic biology, an ethical, legal, and political governance of synthetic biology is needed in the EU and worldwide to ensure that the interests of society are respected. The Group has therefore accepted President Barroso’s request.
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Food security, energy security, sustainability and globalisation have become core issues in the current political debate worldwide. This debate is enriched by other issues, including climate change, global trade, fluctuations in food... more
Food security, energy security, sustainability and globalisation have become core issues in the current political debate worldwide. This debate is enriched by other issues, including climate change, global trade, fluctuations in food and energy prices and the future need for additional energy sources, the revision of the EU common agricultural policy (CAP) and the link between the CAP and the EU economic strategy (the ‘Lisbon agenda’).
In order to address the new challenges and opportunities which lie ahead for EU agriculture, President Barroso asked the EGE to prepare an opinion on the ethical implications of modern developments in agricultural technologies. These should include primary agricultural production, bearing in mind the relationship between agriculture and the natural environment, the UN mil lennium development goals, such as the fight against world hunger, and the impact of changing agricultural methods on rural and urban communities (1).
The EGE accepted this complex task, aware that any such opinion, while addressing agricultural technologies, can not avoid referring to a plethora of interrelated issues, such as the competition for arable land between food, feed, fibres, feedstock or fuel. Because of these consid erations, and out of pragmatism, the EGE therefore de cided to address the technologies that could be condu cive to the priorities supported by the group, namely:
(1) food security;
(2) sustainable use of resources and fair trade at world
level in agricultural products; and
(3) ethically sound design of sustainable EU agricultural
policies.
Food security and sustainability are therefore the main subjects of this opinion, which will refer mainly to primary production of food of plant origin, and not to other areas of the EU agricultural policy such as fisheries, live stock farming, food processing and green biotechnology for pharmaceutical uses. These, together with other issues that play a role in the global discussion on the CAP (such as fisheries, forestry, climate change and energy), will not be covered ‘specifically’ in this opinion, although they are all recognised by the group as being of fundamental importance in a global discussion on ethics in EU agriculture. However, the group also intends to formulate, in this opinion, an ethical frame for agri culture within which further EGE opinions addressing some of the abovementioned issues may be conceived in the future, respecting the group’s remit (2).
This EGE opinion is also conceived as a contribution to a global ethical debate on sustainable agriculture, in which international organisations (3) and European institutions (4) will work closely together to implement the UN millennium development goals and design sus tainable and responsible agricultural policies.
In order to address the new challenges and opportunities which lie ahead for EU agriculture, President Barroso asked the EGE to prepare an opinion on the ethical implications of modern developments in agricultural technologies. These should include primary agricultural production, bearing in mind the relationship between agriculture and the natural environment, the UN mil lennium development goals, such as the fight against world hunger, and the impact of changing agricultural methods on rural and urban communities (1).
The EGE accepted this complex task, aware that any such opinion, while addressing agricultural technologies, can not avoid referring to a plethora of interrelated issues, such as the competition for arable land between food, feed, fibres, feedstock or fuel. Because of these consid erations, and out of pragmatism, the EGE therefore de cided to address the technologies that could be condu cive to the priorities supported by the group, namely:
(1) food security;
(2) sustainable use of resources and fair trade at world
level in agricultural products; and
(3) ethically sound design of sustainable EU agricultural
policies.
Food security and sustainability are therefore the main subjects of this opinion, which will refer mainly to primary production of food of plant origin, and not to other areas of the EU agricultural policy such as fisheries, live stock farming, food processing and green biotechnology for pharmaceutical uses. These, together with other issues that play a role in the global discussion on the CAP (such as fisheries, forestry, climate change and energy), will not be covered ‘specifically’ in this opinion, although they are all recognised by the group as being of fundamental importance in a global discussion on ethics in EU agriculture. However, the group also intends to formulate, in this opinion, an ethical frame for agri culture within which further EGE opinions addressing some of the abovementioned issues may be conceived in the future, respecting the group’s remit (2).
This EGE opinion is also conceived as a contribution to a global ethical debate on sustainable agriculture, in which international organisations (3) and European institutions (4) will work closely together to implement the UN millennium development goals and design sus tainable and responsible agricultural policies.
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Ethical aspects of animal cloning for food supply In February 2007, following the announcement by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concerning possible authorisation of food products derived from cloned cattle, pigs and goats on... more
Ethical aspects of animal cloning for food supply
In February 2007, following the announcement by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concerning possible authorisation of food products derived from cloned cattle, pigs and goats on the market, President Barroso asked the European Group on Ethics of science and new technologies (EGE) to issue an Opinion on ethical implications of cloning animals for food supply.
At the same time, the European Food and Safety Agency (EFSA), was asked to produce an Opinion on food safety, animal health, and environmental implications of live cloned animals obtained through somatic cell nuclear transfer technique (SCNT), their offspring and the products obtained from them.
After several months of internal working meetings, expert hearings, a public consultation launched in the Europa web site (800 contributions received) and a round table with representatives from academia, industry, NGOs, civil society, International organisations and industry1, on January 16, 2007, the EGE has adopted its latest Opinion on ethical aspects of animal cloning for food supply. The Group is aware of the EFSA draft Opinion and the FDA Report published the day before the adoption of the Opinion.
Considering the current level of suffering and health problems of surrogate dams and animal clones, the EGE has doubts as to whether cloning animals for food supply is ethically justified. Whether this applies also to progeny is open to further scientific research.
At present, the EGE does not see convincing arguments to justify the production of food from clones and their offspring2. If in the future food products derived from cloned animals were to be introduced to the European market, the EGE recommends that the following requirements are met:
Food safety - The safety of food products for human consumption as a pre-condition for their marketing must be guaranteed and scientific updates and follow up research into progeny should be carried out.
(The conclusion in this paragraph was dissented by K. Marczewski.)

Animal welfare and health - In accordance with the Amsterdam Treaty (animals as sentient beings) and the Lisbon Treaty, additional requirements should be met in intensive animal breeding, with the aim of following the guidance on animal welfare provided by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), e.g. the five freedoms: from hunger, thirst and malnutrition; from fear and distress; from physical and thermal discomfort; from pain, injury and disease; and to express normal patterns of behaviour.
Traceability - Current EU legislation on food regarding traceability of animals and their food products should be enforced. It should be ensured that EU legislation provides for the ability to identify individual animals where necessary.
Global trade - The import of cloned animals, their offspring and materials derived from cloned animals (e.g. semen and food products) should be conditional on proper documentation, in particular with regard to traceability provisions and animal welfare.
In addition the EGE recommends that:
Animal welfare - Further studies and analyses on long-term animal welfare and health implications for clones and their offspring, as well as more comparative analyses with other assisted and traditional reproductive technologies in animal farming, should be carried out for a proper assessment of this issue, in line with EFSA draft opinion. The Commission should take initiatives to prepare a Code of Conduct on responsible farm animal breeding, including animal cloning.
Farm animal biodiversity and sustainability – The Commission should take proper measures to preserve the genetic heritage of farm animal species, for example by funding projects that aim to preserve domesticated breeds in Europe and to promote sustainable agriculture.
Public participation - Public debates should be promoted on the impact of farm animal cloning on agriculture and environment, on societal impact of increasing meat consumption and rearing of bovines, as well as on the fair distribution of food resources. The Commission should take a pro-active role in promoting public discussion on the use of animal cloning, and its potential implications, by financing a number of ad hoc initiatives aimed at promoting public debate on the marketing of food products derived from animal cloning.
Public perception - The Commission should launch a thematic Eurobarometer survey and qualitative studies on animal cloning for food supply, in order to collect indicators on public perception concerning the introduction of such products to the food market as is being done in other countries.
Labelling – The EGE is aware of the technical difficulties of labelling products from offspring, nevertheless it recommends that the Commission takes the initiative to devise targeted procedures prior to the marketing of such food in the EU.
Intellectual property issues – It should be clarified whether the exclusion clauses in Directive 98/44/EC (Art. 6d) on patentability of biological inventions and the EPO rules (23 d) to animal cloning for food apply.
Global trade and consumer's freedom – The EGE is aware that import issues of food products derived from cloned animals, including compliance with World Trade Organisations provisions, may complicate the market situation, however, the EGE recommends that the Commission takes initiatives to ensure consumers' freedom and rights.
Research - Further research is needed, in particular basic research on animal cloning, as well as impact on human health, animal welfare for farmed species other than those covered by EFSA. Similarly, further ethical, legal and social implications of animal cloning for food supply as well as qualitative studies on public perception should be carried out.
In February 2007, following the announcement by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concerning possible authorisation of food products derived from cloned cattle, pigs and goats on the market, President Barroso asked the European Group on Ethics of science and new technologies (EGE) to issue an Opinion on ethical implications of cloning animals for food supply.
At the same time, the European Food and Safety Agency (EFSA), was asked to produce an Opinion on food safety, animal health, and environmental implications of live cloned animals obtained through somatic cell nuclear transfer technique (SCNT), their offspring and the products obtained from them.
After several months of internal working meetings, expert hearings, a public consultation launched in the Europa web site (800 contributions received) and a round table with representatives from academia, industry, NGOs, civil society, International organisations and industry1, on January 16, 2007, the EGE has adopted its latest Opinion on ethical aspects of animal cloning for food supply. The Group is aware of the EFSA draft Opinion and the FDA Report published the day before the adoption of the Opinion.
Considering the current level of suffering and health problems of surrogate dams and animal clones, the EGE has doubts as to whether cloning animals for food supply is ethically justified. Whether this applies also to progeny is open to further scientific research.
At present, the EGE does not see convincing arguments to justify the production of food from clones and their offspring2. If in the future food products derived from cloned animals were to be introduced to the European market, the EGE recommends that the following requirements are met:
Food safety - The safety of food products for human consumption as a pre-condition for their marketing must be guaranteed and scientific updates and follow up research into progeny should be carried out.
(The conclusion in this paragraph was dissented by K. Marczewski.)

Animal welfare and health - In accordance with the Amsterdam Treaty (animals as sentient beings) and the Lisbon Treaty, additional requirements should be met in intensive animal breeding, with the aim of following the guidance on animal welfare provided by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), e.g. the five freedoms: from hunger, thirst and malnutrition; from fear and distress; from physical and thermal discomfort; from pain, injury and disease; and to express normal patterns of behaviour.
Traceability - Current EU legislation on food regarding traceability of animals and their food products should be enforced. It should be ensured that EU legislation provides for the ability to identify individual animals where necessary.
Global trade - The import of cloned animals, their offspring and materials derived from cloned animals (e.g. semen and food products) should be conditional on proper documentation, in particular with regard to traceability provisions and animal welfare.
In addition the EGE recommends that:
Animal welfare - Further studies and analyses on long-term animal welfare and health implications for clones and their offspring, as well as more comparative analyses with other assisted and traditional reproductive technologies in animal farming, should be carried out for a proper assessment of this issue, in line with EFSA draft opinion. The Commission should take initiatives to prepare a Code of Conduct on responsible farm animal breeding, including animal cloning.
Farm animal biodiversity and sustainability – The Commission should take proper measures to preserve the genetic heritage of farm animal species, for example by funding projects that aim to preserve domesticated breeds in Europe and to promote sustainable agriculture.
Public participation - Public debates should be promoted on the impact of farm animal cloning on agriculture and environment, on societal impact of increasing meat consumption and rearing of bovines, as well as on the fair distribution of food resources. The Commission should take a pro-active role in promoting public discussion on the use of animal cloning, and its potential implications, by financing a number of ad hoc initiatives aimed at promoting public debate on the marketing of food products derived from animal cloning.
Public perception - The Commission should launch a thematic Eurobarometer survey and qualitative studies on animal cloning for food supply, in order to collect indicators on public perception concerning the introduction of such products to the food market as is being done in other countries.
Labelling – The EGE is aware of the technical difficulties of labelling products from offspring, nevertheless it recommends that the Commission takes the initiative to devise targeted procedures prior to the marketing of such food in the EU.
Intellectual property issues – It should be clarified whether the exclusion clauses in Directive 98/44/EC (Art. 6d) on patentability of biological inventions and the EPO rules (23 d) to animal cloning for food apply.
Global trade and consumer's freedom – The EGE is aware that import issues of food products derived from cloned animals, including compliance with World Trade Organisations provisions, may complicate the market situation, however, the EGE recommends that the Commission takes initiatives to ensure consumers' freedom and rights.
Research - Further research is needed, in particular basic research on animal cloning, as well as impact on human health, animal welfare for farmed species other than those covered by EFSA. Similarly, further ethical, legal and social implications of animal cloning for food supply as well as qualitative studies on public perception should be carried out.
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Research Interests: Sociology, Ethics, Theology, Sexual Abuse, Sexuality, and 3 moreSexual Ethics, Catholicism, and Concilium
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In the twentieth century, women’s rights more than ever before emerged as a factor on political agendas. Whereas in the first half of the century they were claimed for the most part by the Women’s Rights Movement, since the 1970s, the... more
In the twentieth century, women’s rights more than ever before emerged as a factor on political agendas. Whereas in the first half of the century they were claimed for the most part by the Women’s Rights Movement, since the 1970s, the concept of reproductive rights has become one of the background motives for the development of birth control measures and, later, for artificial reproductive technologies (ART).
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Research Interests: Compassion and Concilium
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An international journal of theology; a catholic journal in the widest sense: rooted in Roman Catholicism yet open to other Christian traditions and the worlds faiths. Promotes discussion in the spirit of Vatican II. Annual subscriptions... more
An international journal of theology; a catholic journal in the widest sense: rooted in Roman Catholicism yet open to other Christian traditions and the worlds faiths. Promotes discussion in the spirit of Vatican II. Annual subscriptions available.
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Breaking the silence / Marie L. Collins -- What is sexual violence / Nancy Nason-Clark and Lanette Ruff -- Child abuse: how normal development is disturbed / Peter Adriaenssens -- The factor of race/ethnicity in clergy sexual abuse of... more
Breaking the silence / Marie L. Collins -- What is sexual violence / Nancy Nason-Clark and Lanette Ruff -- Child abuse: how normal development is disturbed / Peter Adriaenssens -- The factor of race/ethnicity in clergy sexual abuse of children / Traci C. West -- Sexual violence against children in the Bible / Andreas Michel -- Sexual violence against children: a violation of the protection of children grounded in Christianity / Hubertus Lutterbach -- Operative theories of priesthood: have they contributed to child sexual abuse? / Eamonn Conway -- "As idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean": a people adrift in the ecclesiological doldrums / John P. Beal -- Sexual abuse as an offence in canon law / Hans-Jrgen Guth -- Child abuse by priests: the interaction of state law and canon law / RIk Torfs -- Body of power and body power: the situation of the church and God's defeat / Rainer Bucher.
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Gegenwärtig treffen in der Biomedizin und in der biomedizinischen Ethik zwei sehr unterschiedliche Perspektiven auf den »Menschen« aufeinander: Zum einen die biologische Anthropologie, die sich zunehmend nach der Maßgabe von... more
Gegenwärtig treffen in der Biomedizin und in der biomedizinischen Ethik zwei sehr unterschiedliche Perspektiven auf den »Menschen« aufeinander: Zum einen die biologische Anthropologie, die sich zunehmend nach der Maßgabe von Genomforschung und Neurowissenschaften gestaltet. Biologische Anthropologie hat in ihrer Anwendungsdimension die Steuerung und die Kontrolle physiologischer Prozesse zum Ziel. Dies gilt auch für die Biomedizin. Zum anderen beschäftigt sich aber die philosophische und die theologische Anthropologie mit dem Menschen. Diese reflektiert in der heutigen Form auf das Selbstverständnis und das Selbstverhältnis des Menschen: Philosophischer Anthropologie geht es, etwas verkürzt gesagt, um die Freiheit des Menschen in seiner Leiblichkeit und, wie besonders die Theologie betont, in seiner Endlichkeit. Nicht die Kontrolle und Steuerung, sondern letztlich die Moral ist das Ziel der philosophischen Anthropologie in ihrer praktischen Dimension: Moral als durchaus plurale Auffassungen vom gelingenden Leben des einzelnen Menschen mit anderen in gerechten Institutionen, und Moral als Selbstbindung des Menschen an Prinzipien und Maximen, die eben dieses Gelingen am besten gewährleisten sollen.
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Judaism. Women in Judaism / Adele Reinhartz -- 'House of renewal': a new form of Judaism: an interview with Rabbi Elisa Klapheck -- Christianity. Christianity and feminism among the Babukusu of western Kenya / Anne Nasimiyu-Wasike... more
Judaism. Women in Judaism / Adele Reinhartz -- 'House of renewal': a new form of Judaism: an interview with Rabbi Elisa Klapheck -- Christianity. Christianity and feminism among the Babukusu of western Kenya / Anne Nasimiyu-Wasike -- Women and the church: a Greek Orthodox perspective / Katerina Karkala-Zorba -- Christian churches at the crossroads: theological reflections from Argentina, Latin America and the Caribbean / Virginia R. Azcuy -- Women's voices and feminist theology: accounts from Germany and the USA / Hille Haker, Susan Ross and Marie-Theres Wacker -- Islam. Emerging women's movements in Muslim communities in Germany / Hamideh Mohagheghi -- My father's heir: the journey of a Muslim feminist / Mehrezia Labidi-Maiza -- Hinduism. Conversation on two faces of Hinduism and their implication for gender discourse / Madhu Khanna -- Affirmation of self: a Hindu woman's journey / Lina Gupta -- Buddhism. Gender equality, Buddhism and Korean society / Young-Mi Kim -- Being a North American Buddhist woman: reflections of a feminist pioneer / Rita M. Gross -- Women in world religions: a bibliography / compiled by Marie-Theres Wacker, with Franziska Birke, Heike Harbecke and Jesse Perillo.
Research Interests: Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sociology, Feminism, and 3 moreIslam, Judaism, and Religious Studies
The attention to illness narratives echoes the narrative turn in the humanities. This chapter explores the implications of counselling and confronts the narrative medicine approach with the correlated, yet distinct, concept of narrative... more
The attention to illness narratives echoes the narrative turn in the humanities. This chapter explores the implications of counselling and confronts the narrative medicine approach with the correlated, yet distinct, concept of narrative ethics. It considers ethics standards of counselling and, more specifically, models of decision-making that counsellors use as orientation and ethical guidelines. Narrative ethics is one way to bridge the experiences and value the moral norms that govern decision making. This chapter explores ways to integrate a narrative ethics approach as part of ethical counselling to ensure that both individual experiences and the normative dimensions of actions are included in the conversations. While non-directive counselling emphasizes the moral agency of the individual and calls for the respect of the client concerning their choices, the introduced model of decision making is better equipped to attend to the ethical dimension of counselling.
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In her book Hille Haker pleads for a radical course correction of Catholic social ethics by focusing on three foundational concepts of social ethics: human rights, human dignity and moral responsibility based on the interplay of... more
In her book Hille Haker pleads for a radical course correction of Catholic social ethics by focusing on three foundational concepts of social ethics: human rights, human dignity and moral responsibility based on the interplay of compassion, solidarity and justice. The author argues for a historically and politically mediated ethics that replaces the natural law ethics. The theoretical reflections of the book are carried out by the practical social-ethical studies: The politicization of individual human rights is examined in the contexts of migration, religious freedom, and criminal justice. Human dignity is spelled out as "vulnerable agency" allowing for a sharp criticism of Catholic sexual morality and neglect of women’s human rights.The book ends with a discussion of the relationship of political theology and political ethics and its social-ethical implications for the further development of a Critical Political Ethics.
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ABSTRACT
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Procreation and parenthood moral protection of the human embryo and foetus autonomy and recognition social implications moral reasoning in applied ethics legal regulation of assisted procreation, genetic diagnosis and gene therapy... more
Procreation and parenthood moral protection of the human embryo and foetus autonomy and recognition social implications moral reasoning in applied ethics legal regulation of assisted procreation, genetic diagnosis and gene therapy evaluation and perspectives.
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In the twentieth century, women’s rights more than ever before emerged as a factor on political agendas. Whereas in the first half of the century they were claimed for the most part by the Women’s Rights Movement, since the 1970s, the... more
In the twentieth century, women’s rights more than ever before emerged as a factor on political agendas. Whereas in the first half of the century they were claimed for the most part by the Women’s Rights Movement, since the 1970s, the concept of reproductive rights has become one of the background motives for the development of birth control measures and, later, for artificial reproductive technologies (ART).
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Comparing three concepts of mercy, compassion, and love, this essay describes, first, with Kasper, divine mercy or compassion as a central attribute of God's love, calling for the same human response to suffering. Second, with Metz, it... more
Comparing three concepts of mercy, compassion, and love, this essay describes, first, with Kasper, divine mercy or compassion as a central attribute of God's love, calling for the same human response to suffering. Second, with Metz, it situates compassion within a political theology, but develops it further as central concept of ethics. Third, with Nussbaum, the essay understands compassion and love as a bridge between political norms of justice and the social realities of injustice and indifference. In the second part, the essay takes up the political-theological lens of historical reason; it interprets compassion for justice as a practice of critical witnessing and resistance, and transformative solidarity. It upholds the anamnetic theology of God's compassion and mercy as the ultimate divine gift of justice, to be remembered in the face of forgetting and indifference.