Justin T Clapp, Jacqueline M Kruser, Margaret L Schwarze, Rachel A Hadler
Though assumptions about language underlie all bioethical work, the field has rarely partaken of theories of language. This article encourages a more linguistically engaged bioethics. We describe the tacit conception of language that is frequently upheld in bioethics-what we call the representational view , which sees language essentially as a means of description. We examine how this view has routed the field's theories and interventions down certain paths. We present an alternative model of language-the pragmatic view -and explore how it expands and clarifies traditional bioethical concerns...
April 16, 2024: American Journal of Bioethics: AJOB