An Appraisal of “African Perspectives of Moral Status: A Framework for Evaluating Global Bioethical Issues”
This paper evaluates Caesar Alimsinya Atuire’s essay “African Perspectives of Moral Status: A Framework for Evaluating Global Bioethical Issues”. Atuire’s essay aims to contribute to global ethical discourse by articulating a systematic account of an African ethical perspective, specifically focusin...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Conversational Society of Philosophy (CSP)
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Arụmarụka |
| Subjects: |
| _version_ | 1797327716309008384 |
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| author | Motsamai MOLEFE Elphus MUADE |
| author_facet | Motsamai MOLEFE Elphus MUADE |
| author_sort | Motsamai MOLEFE |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper evaluates Caesar Alimsinya Atuire’s essay “African Perspectives of Moral Status: A Framework for Evaluating Global Bioethical Issues”. Atuire’s essay aims to contribute to global ethical discourse by articulating a systematic account of an African ethical perspective, specifically focusing on the themes of personhood, moral status and the legal question of abortion. We make three objections against Atuire’s essay. Firstly, we argue that a plausible approach to African personhood must consider both its individualistic and relational features, rather than merely emphasize the relational component. The second objection focuses on the theory of moral status, and it has two parts: (a) we insist that a correct understanding of the concept of moral status must construe it as a moral patiency rather than a moral agency term. We believe that Atuire’s view errs in regarding it as the latter. (b) we argue that contrary to Atuire’s assertions, Thaddeus Metz’s friendliness theory of moral status does a better job than Atuire’s object moral status (OMS) and subject moral status (SMS) views of moral status. The final objection is that maybe before we reflect on the legal status of abortion, as ethicists, we should begin by considering the ethical status of abortion in light of African axiological resources. In the final analysis, the paper appreciates Atuire’s contribution to African ethical theory, but it argues that much work still needs to be done before it can be suitable to provide a global framework for evaluating global bioethical issues. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T06:42:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b73b60b71e6b4a72b88eb7f8257e4161 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2788-7928 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T06:42:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Conversational Society of Philosophy (CSP) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arụmarụka |
| spelling | doaj.art-b73b60b71e6b4a72b88eb7f8257e41612024-02-03T08:31:57ZengConversational Society of Philosophy (CSP)Arụmarụka2788-79282023-07-01312550https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ajct.v3i1.2An Appraisal of “African Perspectives of Moral Status: A Framework for Evaluating Global Bioethical Issues”Motsamai MOLEFE0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5030-6222Elphus MUADE1Centre for Leadership Ethics in Africa University of Fort Hare, South AfricaCentre for Leadership Ethics in Africa University of Fort Hare, South AfricaThis paper evaluates Caesar Alimsinya Atuire’s essay “African Perspectives of Moral Status: A Framework for Evaluating Global Bioethical Issues”. Atuire’s essay aims to contribute to global ethical discourse by articulating a systematic account of an African ethical perspective, specifically focusing on the themes of personhood, moral status and the legal question of abortion. We make three objections against Atuire’s essay. Firstly, we argue that a plausible approach to African personhood must consider both its individualistic and relational features, rather than merely emphasize the relational component. The second objection focuses on the theory of moral status, and it has two parts: (a) we insist that a correct understanding of the concept of moral status must construe it as a moral patiency rather than a moral agency term. We believe that Atuire’s view errs in regarding it as the latter. (b) we argue that contrary to Atuire’s assertions, Thaddeus Metz’s friendliness theory of moral status does a better job than Atuire’s object moral status (OMS) and subject moral status (SMS) views of moral status. The final objection is that maybe before we reflect on the legal status of abortion, as ethicists, we should begin by considering the ethical status of abortion in light of African axiological resources. In the final analysis, the paper appreciates Atuire’s contribution to African ethical theory, but it argues that much work still needs to be done before it can be suitable to provide a global framework for evaluating global bioethical issues.abortionafrican ethicsholismmoral statuspersonhoodrelationality |
| spellingShingle | Motsamai MOLEFE Elphus MUADE An Appraisal of “African Perspectives of Moral Status: A Framework for Evaluating Global Bioethical Issues” Arụmarụka abortion african ethics holism moral status personhood relationality |
| title | An Appraisal of “African Perspectives of Moral Status: A Framework for Evaluating Global Bioethical Issues” |
| title_full | An Appraisal of “African Perspectives of Moral Status: A Framework for Evaluating Global Bioethical Issues” |
| title_fullStr | An Appraisal of “African Perspectives of Moral Status: A Framework for Evaluating Global Bioethical Issues” |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Appraisal of “African Perspectives of Moral Status: A Framework for Evaluating Global Bioethical Issues” |
| title_short | An Appraisal of “African Perspectives of Moral Status: A Framework for Evaluating Global Bioethical Issues” |
| title_sort | appraisal of african perspectives of moral status a framework for evaluating global bioethical issues |
| topic | abortion african ethics holism moral status personhood relationality |
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