[koglist] invitation to a talk by Zoltan Miklosi on`The Basis of Equal Moral Status -`24 January, 5.30 PM

The CEU Department of Philosophy cordially invites you to a talk (as part of its Departmental Colloquium series) by Zoltán Miklósi (CEU) on `The Basis of Equal Moral Status` Tuesday, 24 January, 2012, 5.30 PM, Zrinyi 14, Room 412 ABSTRACT According to a widelyshared view, the equal moral status of persons is grounded in the possession ofcertain capacities that are related to the possibility of rational thought andagency. It is usually accepted that even though the capacities that groundpersonhood are possessed by human beings to varying degrees, the moral statusof persons is not a matter of degree: all of those who possess the relevantcapacities to a certain degree have equal moral status and are owed equalrespect and concern. However, it is not clear what justifies treatingpersonhood as a range property, to the effect that differences in theunderlying capacities do not matter above the threshold, even though they domatter across the threshold. I will examine different proposals that seek tojustify the range property view that rely on a requirement of evaluativeabstinence, and I argue that they are unsatisfactory. Finally, I will considera different approach that may explain some of our firmly held beliefs in thisarea, and which might be capable of showing why differences in the underlyingcapacities are indeed irrelevant from this respect. The new proposal is based on the idea thatthe existing approaches misrepresent the moral significance of personhoodcapacities. Their importance lies not in grounding moral status but in makingdistinctive forms of well-being available to those who possess them. Kriszta Biber Department Coordinator Philosophy Department Tel: 36-1-327-3806 Fax: 36-1-327-3072 E-mail: biberk(a)ceu.hu