A look at the implications for contemporary bioethics arising from the Nazi treatment of human beings.
Written in 2005; 7,812 words; 76 sources; MLA; $ 169.95
Paper Summary:
This paper examines how the justification for Nazi programs involving involuntary euthanasia, forced sterilisation, eugenics and human experimentation were strongly influenced by views about human dignity. It looks at how the historical development of these views should be examined today because discussions of human worth and value are integral to medical ethics and bioethics. It discusses how social Darwinism was foremost amongst the philosophies impacting views of human dignity in the decades leading up to Nazi power in Germany and how Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory was quickly applied to human beings and social structure.
Outline
Abstract
Background
Major Influences
Malthusianism
Herbert Spencer
Natural Selection
Hereditary
Eugenics
The Path to Nazi Medicine
Five Beliefs and their Impact on Bioethics
The Nature of Ethics
Human Distinctiveness
Human Gradation
Life Not Worth Living
Survival Of The Fittest
Inherent Human Dignity
Conclusion
References
From the Paper:
"Social Darwinism was foremost amongst the philosophies impacting views of human dignity in the decades leading up to Nazi power in Germany. Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory was quickly applied to human beings and social structure. The term 'survival of the fittest' was coined and seen to be applicable to humans. Belief in the inherent dignity of all humans was rejected by social Darwinists. Influential authors of the day proclaimed that an individual's worth and value were to be determined functionally and materialistically. The popularity of such views ideologically prepared German doctors and nurses to accept Nazi social policies promoting survival of only the fittest humans. A historical survey reveals five general presuppositions that strongly impacted medical ethics in the Nazi era. These same five beliefs are being promoted in different ways in contemporary bioethical discourse. "
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