Philosophical study of life, death, and nature
Philosophical study of life, death, and nature
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This book illustrates a new way of thinking about bioethical issues, that is, a life studies approach. Original concepts such as "the fundamental sense of security","the reality of swaying I", "men's bioethics," and "the advent of an absent being" are introduced and discussed. In this book I discussed the issues of brain death, reproductive technology, Japanese feminist approaches to bioethics, and Japanese debates on disability and bioethics, from the viewpoint of "life studies," which I have proposed for years. Readers will find a new way of seeing those bioethical problems in this book. Most materials cited in this book were published in the 1970s, but their discussions are still very new and stimulating. I have learned a lot from their discussions and experiences. Thier works are, I believe, a rich source of inspiration for future bioethics and "life studies." In Chapter 2, I criticized the personhood argument in bioethics, and instead presented the concept, "the reality of swaying I," which Mitsu Tanaka, a Japanese feminist, used in her book as a basic concept of women's liberation movement at that time. In Chapter 6, after discussing selective abortion and new eugenics, I proposed the idea, "the fundamental sense of security," which should be a basic concept for thinking about our society in the age of biotechnology. And in Chapter 1, I discussed the idea of "the advent of an absent being" that appears on the body of a brain dead person surrounded by close family members. I also discussed men's sexuality and abortion, which has been one of the least discussed topics in the field of bioethics. I proposed "men's bioethics" as an important research area between bioethics and men's studies. The combination of "feminist approaches", "disability studies", and "life studies" will surely have profound influence on future bioethics. You can read a brief summary of some of the chapters of this book in the papers, "Painless Civilization and Fundamental Sense of Security" (about "the fundamental sense of security"), "What do we Learn from Japanese Feminist Bioethics?" (about "the reality of swaying I," or "the sway of confused self") and "Reconsidering Brain Death: A Lesson from Japan's Fifteen Years of Experience." Concerning life studies see What is Life Studies page. When translation is completed, this book will probably be the first full-scale introduction of Japanese feminist bioethics and disabled people bioethics in the 1970s into the English-speaking world. After the publication of this book, the research on Japanese feminist bioethics and disabled people's bioethics has greatly progressed. For example, Masae Kato published the book, Women's Rights? The Politics of Eugenic Abortion in Modern Japan in 2009 in English, which contains an abundant material on Japanese feminist voices on abortion in the 1970s. I am now planning to enlarge the prespective of this book and rewrite it in the coming years. Preface Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Book Reviews Osamu Kanamori, University of Tokyo - "This is an important book. Various topics are discussed such as brain death, abortion, eugenic thought, and feminism as a discourse on life, however, there is a firm backbone at the basis of this book." (Yomiuri Shimbun Newspaper, Jan.20,2002) Mariko Hasegawa, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies - "This is a book on bioethics, but the author does not seek to carry out a detailed analysis on current bioethics. Instead, after discussing those subjects, the author proposes a completely new research field, "life studies."" (Nikkei Shimbun Newspaper, Jan.6,2002) Natsuko Yoshizawa, Rikkyo University - "I was astonished by the fact that bioethics is based on a poor view of humanity that regards only humans with consciousness and rationality as persons, and also astonished by the fact that Japanese women's lib activists and disabled people have accumulated rich and fruitful discourse on abortion since the 1970s." (Asahi Shimbun Newspaper, Jan.13,2002) Book reviews also appeared in Kyoto Simbun Newspaper, Dokushojin Newspaper, Tosho Shimbun Newspaper, Ronza Magazine, etc. Publication Data Keiso Shobo, Tokyo, Nov.10, 2001, 494 pages, 3800 yen, written in Japanese. 
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