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Book SynopsisAs members of various and often conflicting communities, how do we reconcile what we have come to understand as our human rights with our responsibilities toward one another? With the bright thread of individualism woven through the American psyche, where can our sense of duty toward others be found? What has happened to our love - even our concern - for our neighbor? In this revised edition of his magisterial exploration of these critical questions, renowned ethicist Arthur Dyck revisits and profoundly hones his call for the moral bonds of community. In all areas of contemporary life, be it in business, politics, health care, religion - and even in family relationships - the "right" of individuals to consider themselves first has taken precedence over our responsibilities toward others. Dyck contends that we must recast the language of rights to take into account our once natural obligations to all the communities of which we are a part. Rethinking Rights and Responsibilities, at the nexus of ethics, political theory, public policy, and law, traces how the peculiarly American formulations of the rights of the individual have assaulted our connections with, and responsibilities for, those around us. Dyck critically examines contemporary society and the relationship between responsibilities and rights, particularly as they are expressed in medicine and health care, to maintain that while indeed rights and responsibilities form the moral bonds of community, we must begin with the rudimentary task of taking better care of one another.
Trade Review"Offers a wise and compelling interpretation of the nature, role, and limits of modern human rights discourse. Linking rights talk with the rhetoric of responsibility, Dyck contends that the abstract rationalism and individualism of our regnant liberal theory belie the very moral bonds that sustain such discourse. One of the book's many virtues is its attention to the vexed issues of euthanasia, assisted suicide, and universal access to health care. His analysis is erudite, yet lucid; a rich and original contribution that should enjoy a wide and appreciative audience." - William O'Neill, S.J., associate professor of social ethics, Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley/Graduate Theological Union; "This is an eminently readable work that is thorough and undeniably profound and original. Dyck unearths kernels of simple, brilliant truths out of this vast and often inaccessible area. Readers will rediscover human rights through Dyck's mastery of this subject." - The Honourable Michael J. Bryant, Attorney General, Minister Responsible for Native Affairs, and Minister Responsible for Democratic Renewal, Ontario, Canada"
Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: Conception of Rights ReexaminedHistorical and Contemporary Views that Undermine Communal Bonds 1. RightsA Historic Break with the Past2. From Natural Rights to Calculated Rights 3. Natural RightsAutonomy vs. Interdependence Part II: Rights ReconceptualizedGrounding Rights in Responsibilities, Community, and Moral Knowledge 4. Moral Bonds as Requisites of Community 5. Rights ReconceptualizedJustice, Nurture, and Divorce in Western Law6. Requisites of Morality, Freedom,adn Community7. Moral Knowledge Experiential Bases of Responsibilites and Rights 8. Moral Knowledge Loving Impartiality9. Moral Knowledge Ideal Companionship Part III: Reconceptualized RightsHomicide Law and Health Care 10. The Moral Bases of Homicide LawThe Case against Assisted Suicide 11. Justice and NurtureRescue and Health Care as Rights and Responsibilities EpilogueBibliographyIndex
