Abstract
Despite extensive theoretical debate, concrete efforts to overcome paternalism and unbalanced power relations between patients and doctors have produced limited results. In this article, I examine and build on the concept of relational autonomy to reframe the patient-doctor relationship. Specifically, I argue for an alternate form of autonomy anchored in Spinozism that recognises the relation between rationality and affectivity and moves away from the model of Cartesian dualism. I then use Filipino conceptions of individuality to explore treating autonomy as a systemic virtue, where ‘virtue’ is understood as a strength that requires support from systems of agency. In other words, autonomy as a systemic virtue is a practice of focusing on one’s power of acting that is sustained by supportive relationships between individuals and social institutions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 32-47 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Journal of Global Ethics |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Early online date | 2 Jun 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2022 |
Bibliographical note
AcknowledgementsI would like to thank my peer reviewers as well as co-editors of this special edition for their constructive comments that have helped me streamline and strengthen my argument.
Keywords
- relational theory
- medical humanities
- Ethics
- autonomy
- para-rationality
- affectivity
- relational autonomy
- Feminist bioethics
- feminist relational theory
- paternalism
- individuality
- virtue