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Chapter 3 - Personhood, Identity and Autonomy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 May 2022

By
Bart Pattyn ,
Peter Hacker ,
Ursula Basset ,
Mathieu Vandenbulcke  and
Rose-Marie Dröes
Edited by
Mathieu Vandenbulcke ,
Rose-Marie Dröes  and
Erik Schokkaert
Mathieu Vandenbulcke
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Belgium
Rose-Marie Dröes
Affiliation:
Amsterdam University Medical Centre
Erik Schokkaert
Affiliation:
KU Leuven, Belgium
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Summary

Words don't mean what we want them to mean. Concepts can be used in an improper way. In this chapter we examine how concepts such as 'self', 'identity', 'person', 'autonomy' and 'respect' are used in the context of discussions about what happens to a person with dementia. What emerges from this concept clarification is that we are more often tempted by unwarranted dualistic presuppositions than we realize; that the context in which a person can be an autonomous person presupposes intersubjective involvement; that when an individual can no longer participate in an intersubjective common understanding it has pernicious consequences for their autonomy, but that respect for the dignity of a human individual transcends this kind of participation. The exposition is complemented by an analysis of the legal handling of the concepts discussed.

Keywords

personhoodidentity of an individual with dementiarespecting someone’s autonomyconditions of human dignity
Type
Chapter
Information
Dementia and Society , pp. 45 - 62
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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