Toward a Critical Theory of Harm: Ableism, Normativity, and Transability (BIID)
APA Newsletter on Philosophy and Medicine, Vol. 16, No. 1 (Fall 2016)
11 Pages Posted: 28 Feb 2018
Date Written: November 18, 2016
Abstract
Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) is a very rare condition describing those with an intense desire or need to move from a state of ability to relative impairment, typically through the amputation of one or more limbs. In this paper, I draw upon research in critical disability studies and philosophy of disability to critique arguments based upon the principle of nonmaleficence against such surgery. I demonstrate how the action-relative concept of harm in such arguments relies upon suspect notions of biological and statistical normality, and I contend that each fail to provide normative guidance. I then propose a critical theory of harm, one marked by substantive engagement with both empirical and reflective inquiry across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. I conclude by discussing implications of a critical theory of harm and how it might enrich ongoing debates in bioethics, philosophy of disability, and the health humanities more broadly.
Keywords: Body Integrity Identity Disorder, BIID, Transability, Disability, Ableism, Nonmaleficence, Bioethics
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation