The role and implications of the concept of monsters in bioethics

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24520009
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Philosophy/Ethics
• Research Institution: University of Yamanashi
• Principal Investigator: KAGAWA Chiaki 山梨大学, 総合研究部, 教授 (70224342)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): OOTANI Izumi 立命館大学, 産業社会学部, 教授 (30454507) ; TAKEDA Sen 山梨大学, 総合研究部, 教授 (20272429) ; KAWABATA Miki 茨城大学, 教育学部, 研究員 (00624868)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: モンスター概念 / 生命倫理学 / 哲学史

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In reference to the concept of monster, we can easily point out many examples of the deviation of meaning from medically restricted one to more vulgar one to indicate a kind of horrible side effect brought about by the new medical technologies in biomedical literature. This metaphorical use of monster has historically the origin in the theological tradition of monster arguments since 16th century. After all a monster was a paragon of prodigies representing the divine will at the dawn of modern era. It was a metaphor to be found out the hidden message. This conception was gradually refined into teratological meaning by the end of 19th century. Therefore, the metaphorical use of the word “monster” in bioethics can be interpreted as the revival of the original meaning in our time.

Free Research Field

哲学