The social ontology of personhood: a recognition-theoretical approach

In medical ethics and bioethics, several problems, including questions of personal autonomy, are depending on the ascription of a status as person. But what actually is a person opposed to other living beings? The workshop The Social Ontology of Personhood intends to work out criteria based on the social constitution of persons. The meeting will take place on February 21, 2011, in room G 1.32 (Geiststr. 24-26). If you are interested in taking part, please get in touch with the office of the Centre.

This workshop explores the question in what way human persons are different from other beings. The leading hypothesis is that the specific difference is constituted by the sociality of human persons. Consequently, central dimensions of human persons (e.g. autonomy or personality) can only be reconstructed as relational characteristics.

The social constitution of human persons is manifested in attitudes of (mutual) acknowledgement. The aim of this workshop is to explicate the normative function of
these attitudes as well as to identify its contribution for a successful human life and a just society.

Programm