considerability of persons as humans. To explore the of what it means to be human coming from the ‘standard account’ Enlightenment and especially its focus (fixation) on cognitive ability. To understand relevant international and domestic legal frameworks as a response to the traditional account. To appreciate how science is now eroding that ‘traditional account.’ To explore how new science and technology is pushing out existing boundaries to breaking point and especially on the context of post-humanist applications. To give students the means to begin thinking about a new regulatory approach in law and public policy. COURSE DETAILS Module 1: The Standard Account of what it Means to be Human Our legal system sits on top of certain (largely unexplored) assumptions. This module tries to get at the heart of these assumptions. Lecture 1 Who Counts as a Person? The moral Considerability of Persons. The Person as a unit of moral agency (and hence ascribed freedom, responsibility and accountability). Lecture 2 Auto (Self)- Nomy (Governance) unpacked. The Person as a wholly autonomous agent or as a social being. – The concept of AUTO-NOMY who is the and what are the limits to – ‘self’ ‘self-determination. Lecture 3 Cognition defines the of what it means to be human the of ‘essence’ – ‘mistake’ the Enlightenment. The diversity of views in world civilizations. The Decisive moment cognitive capacity as the of what it means to – ‘essence’ be human in the Enlightenment. Lecture 4 How Law Encapsulates & Advances the Standard Account of what it means to be human. Understanding Law & Public Policy as a way of operationalizing this of the master-less, autonomous man. ‘standard account’ Module 2: Science Erodes the Standard Account. Contemporary science either denies that there is a self (at least as envisaged in the standard account) or accepts that there is a self but that it is largely a social artifact.
considerability of persons as humans. To explore the ‘standard account’ of what it means to be human coming from the Enlightenment and especially its focus (fixation) on cognitive ability. To understand relevant international and domestic legal frameworks as a response to the traditional account. To appreciate how science is now eroding that ‘traditional account.’ To explore how new science and technology is pushing out existing boundaries to breaking point and especially on the context of post-humanist applications. To give students the means to begin thinking about a new regulatory approach in law and public policy. COURSE DETAILS Module 1: The Standard Account of what it Means to be Human Our legal system sits on top of certain (largely unexplored) assumptions. This module tries to get at the heart of these assumptions. Lecture 1 Who Counts as a Person? The moral Considerability of Persons. The Person as a unit of moral agency (and hence ascribed freedom, responsibility and accountability). Lecture 2 Auto (Self)- Nomy (Governance) unpacked. The Person as a wholly autonomous agent – or as a social being. The concept of AUTO-NOMY – who is the ‘self’ and what are the limits to ‘self-determination. Lecture 3 Cognition defines the ‘essence’ of what it means to be human – the ‘mistake’ of the Enlightenment. The diversity of views in world civilizations. The Decisive moment – cognitive capacity as the ‘essence’ of what it means to be human in the Enlightenment. Lecture 4 How Law Encapsulates & Advances the Standard Account of what it means to be human. Understanding Law & Public Policy as a way of operationalizing this ‘standard account’ of the master-less, autonomous man. Module 2: Science Erodes the Standard Account. Contemporary science either denies that there is a self (at least as envisaged in the standard account) or accepts that there is a self but that it is largely a social artifact.
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