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To Relieve the Human Condition: Bioethics, Technology, and the Body
CHOICE 1998 Outstanding Academic Book
Argues that standard forms of bioethics support the technological utopianism of medicine. Puts forth an alternative agenda arguing that the task of bioethics is to explore the moral significance of the body as it is expressed in the discourse and practice of moral and religious traditions.
This book argues that standard forms of bioethics support the technological utopian quest of to eliminate suffering and bring the body under the rule of our choices and desires. This quest raises urgent ethical questions rarely addressed in the dominant approaches to bioethics. McKenny puts forth an alternative agenda, arguing that the task of bioethics is to explore the moral significance of the body as it is expressed in the discourse and practice of moral and religious traditions.
"Combines acute analysis of significant contemporary thinkers' work on bioethics while putting those analyses to use to develop a quite extraordinary constructive thesis." -- Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke University
"An outstanding work. The author's interpretive, critical, and constructive scholarship is engaging and provocative." -- Courtney S. Campbell, Department of Philosophy, Oregon State University
"To my knowledge, the best exploration of bioethics from the perspective of religious studies." -- H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., Professor, Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University Department of Philosophy
Argues that standard forms of bioethics support the technological utopianism of medicine. Puts forth an alternative agenda arguing that the task of bioethics is to explore the moral significance of the body as it is expressed in the discourse and practice of moral and religious traditions.
This book argues that standard forms of bioethics support the technological utopian quest of to eliminate suffering and bring the body under the rule of our choices and desires. This quest raises urgent ethical questions rarely addressed in the dominant approaches to bioethics. McKenny puts forth an alternative agenda, arguing that the task of bioethics is to explore the moral significance of the body as it is expressed in the discourse and practice of moral and religious traditions.
"Combines acute analysis of significant contemporary thinkers' work on bioethics while putting those analyses to use to develop a quite extraordinary constructive thesis." -- Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics, Duke University
"An outstanding work. The author's interpretive, critical, and constructive scholarship is engaging and provocative." -- Courtney S. Campbell, Department of Philosophy, Oregon State University
"To my knowledge, the best exploration of bioethics from the perspective of religious studies." -- H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., Professor, Baylor College of Medicine and Rice University Department of Philosophy
279 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 28, 2020
An interesting summary of various responses to the Baconian project (Jonas, Gustafson, Kass, and Hauerwas) though I wish it had more of the author's perspective and not just his assessment of others.
January 15, 2025
so the first two chapters are bangers. like the history of bioethics and the baconian project are invaluable. you kinda have to reread every paragraph 2-3 times to understand it but whatever.
but then it kind of becomes like a book report on authors you don’t really care about. i know they all kind of contributed to his overall critique and response but when reading it im like bro i don’t care about james gustafson.
His hauerwas summary and critique was top notch. Maybe it’s cuz im a foucault fanboy but i didn’t like his critique of foucault- that archaeology/genealogy can’t be prescriptive. idk i think he doesn’t give foucault enough credit here, especially when you look at foucault’s later lectures (which mckenny doesn’t engage with) But im not as smart as mckenny so im probs wrong
but then it kind of becomes like a book report on authors you don’t really care about. i know they all kind of contributed to his overall critique and response but when reading it im like bro i don’t care about james gustafson.
His hauerwas summary and critique was top notch. Maybe it’s cuz im a foucault fanboy but i didn’t like his critique of foucault- that archaeology/genealogy can’t be prescriptive. idk i think he doesn’t give foucault enough credit here, especially when you look at foucault’s later lectures (which mckenny doesn’t engage with) But im not as smart as mckenny so im probs wrong
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews