Janet Radcliffe Richards
Encyclopedia
Janet Radcliffe Richards (1944- ) is a British philosopher who has written about feminism
and bioethics
.
She was Lecturer in Philosophy at the Open University
1979-1999, and Director of the Centre for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine at University College London
until 2007. She is the author of several books, papers and articles, and has sat on a variety of advisory and working committees in areas of philosophy and bioethics. Since 2008, she is Professor of Practical Philosophy at Oxford University. She is also a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics and posts regularly at the University of Oxford’s
Practical Ethics: Ethical Perspectives on the News website .
Her identification with feminism and her focus on bioethics both occurred “by accident” during the writing of her first book, The Sceptical Feminist: A philosophical enquiry (Routledge, 1980; Penguin, 1982) - bioethics being central to the abortion debate. She opens by stating that:
The book proved to be controversial within and outside feminism, e.g. in regard to standards of rationality , fashion and style, and her liberal stance .
Her second book, Human Nature After Darwin: A Philosophical Introduction (Routledge, 2001) explores the so-call Darwin Wars, including what implications Darwinism raises for philosophy and the application of critical thinking to various arguments put forward in the debate. It was originally written as an introduction to philosophical techniques for open university students using using the controversies relating to Darwinian thinking and human nature.
At present, her name often arises in articles and discussions on organ transplantation, in particular the idea of a legitimate organ trade
(e.g. ).
She is married to the philosopher Derek Parfit
.
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
and bioethics
Bioethics
Bioethics is the study of controversial ethics brought about by advances in biology and medicine. Bioethicists are concerned with the ethical questions that arise in the relationships among life sciences, biotechnology, medicine, politics, law, and philosophy....
.
She was Lecturer in Philosophy at the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
1979-1999, and Director of the Centre for Bioethics and Philosophy of Medicine at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
until 2007. She is the author of several books, papers and articles, and has sat on a variety of advisory and working committees in areas of philosophy and bioethics. Since 2008, she is Professor of Practical Philosophy at Oxford University. She is also a Distinguished Research Fellow at the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics and posts regularly at the University of Oxford’s
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
Practical Ethics: Ethical Perspectives on the News website .
Her identification with feminism and her focus on bioethics both occurred “by accident” during the writing of her first book, The Sceptical Feminist: A philosophical enquiry (Routledge, 1980; Penguin, 1982) - bioethics being central to the abortion debate. She opens by stating that:
The book proved to be controversial within and outside feminism, e.g. in regard to standards of rationality , fashion and style, and her liberal stance .
Her second book, Human Nature After Darwin: A Philosophical Introduction (Routledge, 2001) explores the so-call Darwin Wars, including what implications Darwinism raises for philosophy and the application of critical thinking to various arguments put forward in the debate. It was originally written as an introduction to philosophical techniques for open university students using using the controversies relating to Darwinian thinking and human nature.
At present, her name often arises in articles and discussions on organ transplantation, in particular the idea of a legitimate organ trade
Organ trade
Organ trade is the trade involving human organs for transplantation. There is a worldwide shortage of organs available for transplantation, possibly a result of regulations forbidding their trafficking.-Legal organ trade:...
(e.g. ).
She is married to the philosopher Derek Parfit
Derek Parfit
Derek Parfit is a British philosopher who specializes in problems of personal identity, rationality and ethics, and the relations between them. His 1984 book Reasons and Persons has been very influential...
.
Further reading
All by Janet Radcliffe Richards:- The Sceptical Feminist: a philosophical enquiry, Routledge, (1980)
- Human Nature After Darwin: A Philosophical Introduction, Routledge, (2001)
- "Why Feminist Epistemology Isn't" (1997) in The Flight from Science and Reason P. Gross, N. Levitt & M. Lewis; Johns Hopkins University Press.
- "Organs For Sale", Janet Radcliffe Richards, Issues Med Ethics. 2001 Apr-Jun;9(2)]