Human Dignity, Human Rights, and Bioethics

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General Information
Sessions
Bibliography

General Information

The presentation of the main speaker should be 20-30 minutes, the reply 10-15 minutes. The speaker should give his manuscript to the commentator at least two days in advance. He should also send it to Gloria Orellana so that she can send it to all participants. Format the manuscript so that printing costs are minimised (single space, font 11 pt, possibly landscape two columns)

Choose a topic that can be formulated as a question, for example "What is a human right?" or "What is the relationship between justice and equality?" or "Do rights depend on laws?". Do not just present reflections on some topic.

The speaker must present and defend what, after searching the truth, he believes to be true. Do not just present other peoples' views. Reading many texts is necessary as a preparation. Do not approach the issue as if you were the first to think about it. If you find a claim in a text which you want to endorse do not just say who said what but put the claim forward as your claim. Do not say "Saint Thomas said that X", but say: X. You may add that you found this claim in Saint Thomas' writings. Answer the question, analyse and describe the things you are investigating, the "things in themselves". Say how things are. If you find an argument in a text which you think is sound and you want to use it, do not just say who proposed which argument but use the argument yourself. Put it forward in defense of your view.

This means that the structure of your talk and text is determined by the logic of your claims and arguments. Do not structure your text with "Author A says first L, then M, author B says N ...". Begin your talk with presenting the question or the object of your investigation. Then answer the question or analyse and describe the object of your investigation. Bring in the arguments which you find in the texts not in the order in which you find them in the authors, but use these arguments in your text when you need them in order to defend what you believe to be true.

One possible structure is:

Say what the question is which you want to answer or what the object is which you want to describe
Summarise what you believe to be true
Say what you are going to say now
Present preliminary doctrines and presuppositions and define terms
Expand. Spell out your view
Name the most important other views
Defend your view against the most influential and against the strongest counter-arguments
Give further arguments for your view
Summarise what you have said and what your conclusion is

In your oral presentation in our meeting you may have to omit or shorten some of these parts. Concentrate on explaining and defending what you believe to be true. The written version which you submit should be more complete.

Use footnotes to refer to important texts which express views or arguments which you defend or criticise. For example, when you give an argument add a footnote saying "A similar argument has been put forward by Reinach 1913, 72." A reference without comment may also be added in the text in brackets: (see Reinach 1913, 72).
Only in footnotes you should mention names of other authors and quote other texts. In the main text discuss arguments and views only in general. Formulate them with your own words and construe them in the best possible way. For example write: "Against this view one might argue ..." In footnotes you can then for example write: "Swinburne (2001, 87) put forward an argument along these lines. He writes: ... "
Add a bibliography giving the bibliographical data of all texts referred to. (This can be done most efficiently with bibliographical software, like Endnote or Zotero or Bibus. At least if you write a thesis you should use this. Some programs are mentioned on http://tips.von-wachter.de.)

August 14th, 2008, Prof. Carlos Casanova: Introduction

August 21st, 2008, Prof. Josef Seifert: La dignidad de la persona y los derechos humanos

August 28th, 2008, Prof. Daniel von Wachter:

4.9.2008, John Corrigan: Human and Legal Rights

Human rights exist and obtain in the legal realm.

11.9.2008, 16.30h, Conference with Profesor Pedro Jesús Teruel, "El camino hacia la fenomenología realista"

All are invited, all should participate.

25.9.2008

Some possible topics

What is the relationship between justice and equality?

Bibliography

van Dun, Frank, [a libertarian natural law theorist]
Villey, Michel, Estudios sobre la nocion de derecho subjetivo
Villey, Michel, "La génesis del derecho subjetivo en Guillermo de Occam", download at USAL (there are also other texts by Villey)
Saldaña, Javier, "Críticas en torno del derecho sujetivo come concepto de los derechos humanos"