Care for Language: Etymology as a Continental Argument in Bioethics

Abstract

Emphasizing the importance of language is a key characteristic of philosophical reflection in general and of bioethics in particular. Rather than trying to eliminate the historicity and ambiguity of language, a continental approach to bioethics will make conscious use of it, for instance by closely studying the history of the key terms we employ in bioethical debates. Continental bioethics entails a focus on the historical vicissitudes of the key signifiers of the bioethical vocabulary, urging us to study the history of terms such as “bioethics,” “autonomy,” “privacy,” and “consensus.” Instead of trying to define such terms as clearly and unequivocally as possible, a continental approach rather requires us to take a step backwards, tracing the historical backdrop of the words currently in vogue. By comparing the original meanings of terms with their current meanings, and by considering important moments of transition in their history, obfuscated dimensions of meaning can be retrieved. Thus, notwithstanding a number of methodological challenges involved in etymological exercises, they may foster moral articulacy and enhance our ability to come to terms with moral dilemmas we are facing.

Language and Ethics: A Better Way to Treat "Derogatory Terms" and Corresponding Punishments

“…It can be concluded that if none of the previous usages possess a constant and unchanging meaning or essence, then there is no reason to determine a permanent meaning in the present and reject the potential possibility of multiple semantic changes in the future. By studying history, "the eroded aspects of meaning are retrieved" [6], and people can find that a derogatory term is just a negative label artificially put on a morally neutral word, and as long as the label is withdrawn, the word itself should not have any risk of harm. Specifically, it is just a tool for people to communicate, and all the essence and meaning are artificially constructed, so there is no ultimate truth to language itself, including its inherent harm.…”