The Metaphysics of Pregnancy with Elselijn Kingma

Summary

Often, when philosophical questions are asked about pregnancy, they concern ethical problems about abortion, surrogacy or assisted conception. But the answers to these questions might depend in part on answers to metaphysical questions. One of these metaphysical questions concerns the relationship between the mother and her fetus. Is the mother a biological container for her developing baby, or is the fetus a part of the mother? It’s a question that may have important implications, but it’s also one of the big existential questions of life, a question about what it is to be human.

Today’s consultation is with philosopher Elselijn Kingma, Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Southampton.

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Jonathan Fuller

Jonathan Fuller MD PhD is a philosopher of medicine and Associate Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh. He is co-host of the NBN channel Philosophy of Medicine and a producer of its podcast series 'New Books in Philosophy of Medicine' and 'Philosophers on Medicine'.
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