From unimpeachable autonomy to self-imposed heteronomy: a liberal and Foucauldian perspective on advance euthanasia directives

Abstract Based on a controversial case of assisted suicide offered to and eventually enforced on a demented woman vainly resisting the procedure, this article discusses the problems that arise when the human entity is conceptualized as an individual primarily defined by his ability for rational self...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales:	Malte Kayßer, Peter Wedekind
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Springer Nature 2021
Materias:	History of scholarship and learning. The humanities AZ20-999 Social Sciences H
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/5e53362f732a4542bed35e7a3d45897b
Etiquetas:	Agregar Etiqueta Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!

id	oai:doaj.org-article:5e53362f732a4542bed35e7a3d45897b
record_format	dspace
spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:5e53362f732a4542bed35e7a3d45897b2021-11-08T10:58:56ZFrom unimpeachable autonomy to self-imposed heteronomy: a liberal and Foucauldian perspective on advance euthanasia directives10.1057/s41599-021-00941-42662-9992https://doaj.org/article/5e53362f732a4542bed35e7a3d45897b2021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-021-00941-4https://doaj.org/toc/2662-9992Abstract Based on a controversial case of assisted suicide offered to and eventually enforced on a demented woman vainly resisting the procedure, this article discusses the problems that arise when the human entity is conceptualized as an individual primarily defined by his ability for rational self-expression and autonomous self-rule. To highlight these difficulties, a liberal view on ‘autonomy’—a term which serves as an ideal but is yet subject to conditions—is scrutinized. Given that liberal political theory alone is insufficient to fully reflect the changes of personality by which an individual’s fight for autonomy bears the potential to turn into unalterable heteronomy, it is complemented by the thought of Michel Foucault. With his attention to societal mechanisms which bring individuals about—a process termed ‘individuation’ in the following—cases like the aforementioned scenario wherein individuals are forced to divide themselves from themselves can be critically analyzed. Such an approach illustrates that the established notion of the ‘individual’ can be led ad absurdum, and its validity as both an analytical idea and a normative vision should be challenged. As a result, there is a need for a more clairvoyant concept of the human person to be articulated, capable of conciliating the discontinuous nature of existence.Malte KayßerPeter WedekindSpringer NaturearticleHistory of scholarship and learning. The humanitiesAZ20-999Social SciencesHENHumanities & Social Sciences Communications, Vol 8, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	History of scholarship and learning. The humanities AZ20-999 Social Sciences H
spellingShingle	History of scholarship and learning. The humanities AZ20-999 Social Sciences H Malte Kayßer Peter Wedekind From unimpeachable autonomy to self-imposed heteronomy: a liberal and Foucauldian perspective on advance euthanasia directives
description	Abstract Based on a controversial case of assisted suicide offered to and eventually enforced on a demented woman vainly resisting the procedure, this article discusses the problems that arise when the human entity is conceptualized as an individual primarily defined by his ability for rational self-expression and autonomous self-rule. To highlight these difficulties, a liberal view on ‘autonomy’—a term which serves as an ideal but is yet subject to conditions—is scrutinized. Given that liberal political theory alone is insufficient to fully reflect the changes of personality by which an individual’s fight for autonomy bears the potential to turn into unalterable heteronomy, it is complemented by the thought of Michel Foucault. With his attention to societal mechanisms which bring individuals about—a process termed ‘individuation’ in the following—cases like the aforementioned scenario wherein individuals are forced to divide themselves from themselves can be critically analyzed. Such an approach illustrates that the established notion of the ‘individual’ can be led ad absurdum, and its validity as both an analytical idea and a normative vision should be challenged. As a result, there is a need for a more clairvoyant concept of the human person to be articulated, capable of conciliating the discontinuous nature of existence.
format	article
author	Malte Kayßer Peter Wedekind
author_facet	Malte Kayßer Peter Wedekind
author_sort	Malte Kayßer
title	From unimpeachable autonomy to self-imposed heteronomy: a liberal and Foucauldian perspective on advance euthanasia directives
title_short	From unimpeachable autonomy to self-imposed heteronomy: a liberal and Foucauldian perspective on advance euthanasia directives
title_full	From unimpeachable autonomy to self-imposed heteronomy: a liberal and Foucauldian perspective on advance euthanasia directives
title_fullStr	From unimpeachable autonomy to self-imposed heteronomy: a liberal and Foucauldian perspective on advance euthanasia directives
title_full_unstemmed	From unimpeachable autonomy to self-imposed heteronomy: a liberal and Foucauldian perspective on advance euthanasia directives
title_sort	from unimpeachable autonomy to self-imposed heteronomy: a liberal and foucauldian perspective on advance euthanasia directives
publisher	Springer Nature
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/5e53362f732a4542bed35e7a3d45897b
work_keys_str_mv	AT maltekayßer fromunimpeachableautonomytoselfimposedheteronomyaliberalandfoucauldianperspectiveonadvanceeuthanasiadirectives AT peterwedekind fromunimpeachableautonomytoselfimposedheteronomyaliberalandfoucauldianperspectiveonadvanceeuthanasiadirectives
_version_	1718442428587835392

From unimpeachable autonomy to self-imposed heteronomy: a liberal and Foucauldian perspective on advance euthanasia directives

Ejemplares similares