Pettman / Somit Biopolitics and International Values

Investigating Liberal Norms
1. Auflage 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4831-4958-5
Verlag: Elsevier Science & Techn.
Format: PDF
Kopierschutz: 1 - PDF Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 182 Seiten, Web PDF

Biopolitics and International Values: Investigating Liberal Norms attempts to provide as profound an understanding of human behavior as possible. It sorts out the subjective meanings we share with other people that define our cultures and the symbolic contexts that surround us all. The book begins with a discussion of the sources of order in contemporary world politics, in particular the intellectual and moral values that have come to prevail there (the European doctrines of social justice and human rights, and the underlying assumptions they make about human fraternity, equality, liberty, and felicity). This is followed by separate chapters that examine the individualistic ethic of the American polity, counterposing the collectivist concerns of the Soviets; discuss the various meanings of equality and the ways in which it has historically been used in political and philosophic discourse. The book also looks at various attempts by political theorists to analyze liberty; examines what a biological understanding of human nature makes of that most abiding and most elusive of contemporary political aspirations; and reviews research into such areas as genetic engineering (particularly recombinant DNA) and the possible consequences this might have for society and politics.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Pettman, Ralph

Somit, Albert

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Front Cover;1
2;Biopolitics and International Values: Investigating Liberal Norms;4
3;Copyright Page;5
4;Table of Contents;6
5;Preface;8
6;Chapter 1. The Scientific Understanding of "Modern" Values;10
6.1;ORDER;10
6.2;THE ADVENT OF GLOBAL NORMS;12
6.3;THE AIM OF THIS STUDY;22
6.4;NOTES;37
7;Chapter 2. Fraternity: Are We Naturally Selfish or Not?;44
7.1;THE SEMANTICS OF FRATERNITY;44
7.2;FRATERNITY AND MODERN SOCIETY;46
7.3;INDIVIDUALISM AND COLLECTIVISM;47
7.4;HUMAN NATURE: SELFISH OR SOCIAL?;51
7.5;THE GENETICS OF ALTRUISM;53
7.6;THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CULTURE;59
7.7;NOTES;62
8;Chapter 3. The Relative Irrelevance of Inequality: Intelligence, Race and Sex;65
8.1;EQUALITY AND INDIVIDUALITY;66
8.2;WHO ESPOUSES EQUALITY?;67
8.3;POLITICAL EQUALITY;70
8.4;LEGAL EQUALITY;71
8.5;EQUALITY AND FRATERNITY;72
8.6;THE SOCIAL RELEVANCE OF HUMAN INEQUALITIES;72
8.7;INEQUALITY OF TREATMENT;73
8.8;EQUALITY AND LIBERTY;74
8.9;INEQUALITY: THE VISUAL PREFERENCE FOR VERTICALITY;78
8.10;INTELLIGENCE;79
8.11;RACE;86
8.12;SEX;93
8.13;EQUALITY OF HUMAN WORTH;99
8.14;NOTES;100
9;Chapter 4. Freedom from Hunger and Freedom to Choose;108
9.1;LIBERTY DEFINED;109
9.2;NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE FREEDOM;113
9.3;NEGATIVE FREEDOM AND MALNUTRITION;115
9.4;POSITIVE FREEDOM AND THE BIOLOGY OF CHOICE;118
9.5;NOTES;128
10;Chapter 5. States of Happiness and States of Mind;134
10.1;HAPPINESS DEFINED;134
10.2;HAPPINESS AND HOW IT IS CAUSED;139
10.3;HAPPINESS AS THE ULTIMATE VALUE;140
10.4;BIOCHEMISTRY AND EMOTION;143
10.5;THE PHARMACOLOGY OF FAITH;146
10.6;THE PHYSIOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY COGNITION;149
10.7;COGNITION AND POLITICS;153
10.8;NOTES;155
11;Chapter 6. Science, Society (and Can They Survive);163
11.1;BIOPOLITICS;163
11.2;INTENTIONS AND CONSEQUENCES;164
11.3;FACT vs. VALUE AGAIN;168
11.4;THE SOCIAL DETERMINATION OF SCIENCE;170
11.5;GENETIC ENGINEERING;173
11.6;INDIVIDUALISM vs. COLLECTIVISM AGAIN;175
11.7;AN ETHICS OF CHANGE;175
11.8;NOTES;177
12;Conclusion;183
12.1;NOTES;184
13;INDEX;186
14;About the Author;192