What It Means to Be Human, O. Carter Snead
What It Means to Be Human, O. Carter Snead
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What It Means to Be Human
The Case for the Body in Public Bioethics

Author: O. Carter Snead

Narrator: Asa Siegel

Unabridged: 9 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 02/01/2022

Categories: Nonfiction, Law, Medical

Synopsis

The natural limits of the human body make us vulnerable and therefore dependent, throughout our lives, on others. Yet American law and policy disregard these stubborn facts, with statutes and judicial decisions that presume people to be autonomous, defined by their capacity to choose. As legal scholar O. Carter Snead points out, this individualistic ideology captures important truths about human freedom, but it also means that we have no obligations to each other unless we actively, voluntarily embrace them.

What It Means to Be Human makes the case for a new paradigm, one that better represents the gifts and challenges of being human. Inspired by the insights of Alasdair MacIntyre and Charles Taylor, Snead proposes a vision of human identity and flourishing that supports those who are profoundly vulnerable and dependent—children, the disabled, and the elderly. To show how such a vision would affect law and policy, he addresses three complex issues in bioethics: abortion, assisted reproductive technology, and end-of-life decisions. He concludes that, if the law is built on premises that reflect the fully lived reality of life, it will provide support for the vulnerable, including the unborn, mothers, families, and those nearing the end of their lives.

About O. Carter Snead

O. Carter Snead is William P. and Hazel B. White Director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, professor of law, and concurrent professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame. He is a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, the principal bioethics advisory body to Pope Francis, and a Fellow of the Hastings Center.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Teaghan on October 02, 2022

Absolutely accomplishes what is sets out to do, very much a "steelman" argument against abortion and assisted suicide. Far more accessible than your average law book but still rather technical in its tone. Only major complaint is that the book often punts when it comes to solutions, but in fairness,......more

Goodreads review by Haley on March 01, 2025

The two phrases repeated throughout this book are "expressive individualism" contrasted with our human networks of "uncalculated giving and graceful receiving". He hammers those two ideas home because they really do (or should) color the 3 bioethical issues discussed: 1) abortion 2) artificial repro......more

Goodreads review by Nathaniel on July 13, 2022

Re-read in light of recent events, and even better the second time around. It was, however, a bit repetitive in certain respects and so I feel I can't quite give it 5 stars. The director of the Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity at Trinity has called chapter 3 the best (somewhat) concise account......more

Goodreads review by Josh on December 16, 2021

A persuasive argument that current bioethics is rooted in an impoverished view of human nature. Snead draws on range of philosophers and social scientists (e.g., Charles Taylor, Robert Bellah, etc.) who have identified the phenomenon of expressive individualism, and applies their insights to the cur......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on October 07, 2022

This book is more dense than I first anticipated it would be and I wish I'd read it instead of listening to the audio version. Snead made several good points about human vulnerability and gave a thoughtful overview of the history of American law regarding embodied & dependent humans. From his conclu......more

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