Around the time that the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was making its way to the courts, professional philosophers on various sides of the issue were using the best tools they had to think about the morality of abortion, which raises a host of important questions. When does life begin and why? What is a ‘person’? What determines who ‘counts’ morally speaking? For example: is it species membership (“he’s human”)? Sentience (“he can feel pleasure and pain”)? The ability to exercise rationality on command (“he can make a conscious decision)? Further, consider the case of a woman who finds herself with an unwanted pregnancy. This raises the question: do humans primarily have only obligations that they consent to, or does being human mean that there are important obligations that we don’t consent to?
The purpose of this reading group is to expose students to some of the major arguments that philosophers have made in the last 50 or so years concerning the ethics of abortion. Each session will feature readings from proponents and opponents of abortion, both presented in a fair-minded way. All undergraduate and graduate students committed to serious intellectual engagement, to respectful truth-seeking, are welcome, regardless of their views.
Along the way, we’ll also emphasize practical strategies to engage in thoughtful conversation with those who think differently than you do about important issues.
Email jprather@houstoninstitute.org to receive copies of the readings.
Led by Dr. Victor Saenz
Meets Tuesdays 8/30, 9/6, 9/13, 6:15 – 7:45pm
