Springer Religious Perspectives on Bioethics and Human Rights: 6 (Advancing Global Bioethics, 6)

This book deals with the thorny issue of human rights in different cultures and religions, especially in the light of bioethical issues. In this book, experts from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism and Confucianism discuss the tension between their religious traditions and the claim of universality of human rights.  The East-West contrast is particularly evident with regards to human rights.  Some writers find the human rights language too individualistic and it is foreign to major religions where the self does not exist in isolation, but is normally immersed in a web of relations and duties towards family, friends, religion community, and society.  Is the human rights discourse a predominantly Western liberal ideal, which in bioethics is translated to mean autonomy and free choice?  In today’s democratic societies, laws have been drafted to protect individuals and communities against slavery, discrimination, torture or genocide.  Yet, it appears unclear at what moment universal rights supersede respect for cultural diversity and pluralism.  This collection of articles demonstrates a rich spectrum of positions among different religions, as they confront the ever more pressing issues of bioethics and human rights in the modern world. This book is intended for those interested in the contemporary debates on religious ethics, human rights, bioethics, cultural diversity and multiculturalism. From the Back Cover This book deals with the thorny issue of human rights in different cultures and religions, especially in the light of bioethical issues. In this book, experts from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism and Confucianism discuss the tension between their religious traditions and the claim of universality of human rights.  The East-West contrast is particularly evident with regards to human rights.  Some writers find the human rights language too individualistic and it is foreign to major religions where the self does not exist in isolation, but is normally immersed in a web of relations and duties towards family, friends, religion community, and society.  Is the human rights discourse a predominantly Western liberal ideal, which in bioethics is translated to mean autonomy and free choice?  In today’s democratic societies, laws have been drafted to protect individuals and communities against slavery, discrimination, torture or genocide.  Yet, it appears unclear at what moment universal rights supersede respect for cultural diversity and pluralism.  This collection of articles demonstrates a rich spectrum of positions among different religions, as they confront the ever more pressing issues of bioethics and human rights in the modern world. This book is intended for those interested in the contemporary debates on religious ethics, human rights, bioethics, cultural diversity and multiculturalism. About the Author Joseph Tham was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to Canada at the age of fifteen. At the University of Toronto, he first majored in Mathematical Sciences and then graduated from Medical School. After several years of work as a family physician, he entered the seminary of the Legionaries of Christ and was ordained a priest in 2004.  As a part of this preparation, he has obtained his degrees in philosophy and theology at Rome’s Regina Apostolorum Pontifical university, where he also completed his post-graduate studies in bioethics.  He successfully defended his doctoral dissertation with high honors on “The Secularization of Bioethics―A Critical History” under the direction of Dr. Edmund Pellegrino, former Chairman of the President’s Council on Bioethics.  He presently teaches bioethics in Regina Apostolorum and is the Dean of the School of Bioethics.  He is the author of The Missing Cornerstone (2004, 2009), The Secularization of Bioethics (2007) and Bioetica al Futuro (2010).  He is the editorial coordinator of Studia Bioethica a