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Masahiro Morioka
Book reviews Osamu Kanamori - "This is an important book. Various topics are discussed such as brain death, abortion, eugenic thought, and feminism as a discourse on life, however, there is a firm thread of reason at the basis of this book." (Yomiuri Shimbun Newspaper, Jan.20,2002) >> Read more Mariko Hasegawa - "This is a book on bioethics, but the author does not seek to carry out a detailed analysis on current bioethics. Instead, based on the analysis, the author proposes a completely new research field, "life studies."" (Nikkei Shimbun Newspaper, Jan.6,2002) >> Read more Natsuko Yoshizawa - "I was astonished by the fact that bioethics is based on a poor view of humanity that regards only humans with consciousness and rationality as persons, and also astonished by the fact that Japanese women's lib activists and disabled people have accumulated rich and fruitful discourse on abortion since the 1970s." (Asahi Shimbun Newspaper, Jan.13,2002) >> Read more Summary In this book I discussed the issues of brain death, reproductive technology, Japanese feminist approaches to bioethics, and Japanese debates on disability and bioethics, from the viewpoint of "life studies" I have advocated for years. Readers will probably find a completely new way of seeing these bioethical problems. Most materials cited in this book are those in the 1970s, but you will find their discussions very new and stimulating because we have ignored minority voices in the field of bioethics. I have learned a lot from their discussions and experiences. Thier works are, I believe, a source of inspiration for future bioethics and "life studies." In Chapter 2, I criticized the personhood argument in bioethics, and instead presented the concept, "the reality of swaying I," that the Japanese feminist, Mitsu Tanaka, used in her book as a basic concept of women's liberation movement. In Chapter 6, after discussing selective abortion and new eugenics, I proposed the idea, "the fundamental sense of security," which should be a basic concept for our future society. And in Chapter 1, I discussed about "the advent of an absent being" a brain dead person sometimes shows in front of family members. I also discussed the deep relationship between men's sexuality and abortion, which is one of the least discussed topics in the field of bioethics. I proposed "men's bioethics" as an important research topic in the boundary area between bioethics and men's studies. The combinations of "feminist approaches", "disability studies", and "life studies" will fundamentally change future bioethics. You can read a brief summary of some of the chapters in my paper, "Disability Movement and Inner Eugenic Thought"(concerning "the fundamental sense of security"), "What do we Learn from Japanese Feminist Bioethics?"(concerning "the reality of swaying I," or "the sway of confused self") and "Two Aspects of Brain Dead Being." When translation is completed, this book will probably be the first full-scale introduction of Japanese feminist bioethics and disabled people bioethics in the 1970s into the English-speaking world. "Life studies approach" might become a new methodology in bioethics and philosophy, just like feminist approach, cross-cultural approach, and narrative approach. You can read an outline of "life studies" in Chapter 6 of this book, and What is Life Studies page of our website.
Table of Contents and Translation Preface Encounter with Brain Death Chapter 1 Reconsidering Brain Death Chapter 2 Life and the Otherness - The Reality of "Swaying I" Chapter 3 Women's Lib and Bioethics Chapter 4 Philosophy of Mitsu Tanaka - "Sway of Confused Self" and "Encounter" Chapter 5 "Abortion as Violence" and Men's Responsibility Chapter 6 Disabled People and "Inner Eugenic Thought" Chapter 6 The Possibility of Life Studies * Samples of the contents will be uploaded. Translation to other languages
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An introduction to the bioethical issues posed by Japanese disabled people and feminist activists. A very important discussion in the age of "new eugenics".