Kristien Hens
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 99795 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | Kristien Hens |
| NOMBRES | Kristien |
| APELLIDO | Hens |
| FIRMA | HENS K |
| AFILIACIONES | University of Antwerp |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1062-7918 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 44 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 39 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 45 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 0 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2008 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2026 |
| ÍNDICE H | 4 |
Bioethics-in-Science
The end of the line
Pollution has become a central concept in environmental science, law and politics. However, upon closer scrutiny, the current conceptualisation of pollution proves inadequate. Threshold models, dominant in twentieth-century environmental science, conceptualise pollution as a scalar phenomenon: substances become pollutants when their concentration exceeds an acceptable limit. While pragmatically useful for regulation, this model faces three major …
Between acceptance and rejection
If Marc is Suzanne’s father, does it follow that Suzanne is Marc’s child? An experimental philosophy study in reproductive ethics
In this paper, we report the results from an experimental reproductive ethics study exploring questions about reproduction and parenthood. The main finding in our study is that, while we may assume that everyone understands these concepts and their relationship in the same way, this assumption may be unwarranted. For example, we may assume that if ‘x is y’s father’, it follows that ‘y is x’s child’. However, the participants in our study did not …
Attuning to the deep on the opportunities of thinking with art for an ethics and science of the deep sea
Validistische vooroordelen en de toegang tot voortplantingstechnieken
Ethics is everywhere
Interdisciplinarity is becoming increasingly important at a sector level within the world of academia and research. Funders are asking for evidence of plans for interdisciplinary approaches, and interdisciplinarity is an increasingly common keyword found within papers across the sector. As scholars, we are based in separate disciplines (Daniel in Human Geography and Kristien in Bioethics). Both of our disciplines have a history of published works…
Chance Encounters
In this rigorous and necessary book, Kristien Hens brings together bioethics and the philosophy of biology to argue that it is ethically necessary for scientific research to include a place for the philosopher. As well as ethical, their role is conceptual: they can improve the quality and coherence of scientific research by ensuring that particular concepts are used consistently and thoughtfully across interdisciplinary projects. Hens argues that…
Chance encounters
"In this rigorous and necessary book, Kristien Hens brings together bioethics and the philosophy of biology to argue that it is ethically necessary for scientific research to include a place for the philosopher. As well as ethical, their role is conceptual: they can improve the quality and coherence of scientific research by ensuring that particular concepts are used consistently and thoughtfully across interdisciplinary projects. Hens argues tha…
A Dog Is a Dog Is a Dog
In this chapter I discuss whether and how an ontology can inform ethics. I use the example of ethics of companion animals to describe ethical naturalism and non-naturalism
Development and Ethics
Building on the previous discussions on genes and epigenetics, I describe ethical discussions in epigenetics. I argue that it is fruitful to adopting a long-term, developmental and dynamic perspective on life. I describe how such a perspective alters the way we think about traditional bioethics discussions such as those on embryo selection and the non-identity problem
Overview of the Arguments
In this chapter, I provide an overview of the chapters
Diseases, Disorders, Disabilities, and Norms
I return to one of the central tenets of bioethics, that of biomedical ethics. I describe how there is rich literature on concepts of disease in the philosophy of medicine—understanding what we mean by health and disease influences how we think about the ethics of medicine. I give an introduction to thinking about disability. I describe a thoroughly biological and normative way of looking at pathology and health, that of Georges Canguilhem. I giv…
Concepts
I describe how ‘risk’ is not a neutral term, using examples from the COVID-19 pandemic and from prenatal screening. I suggest that bioethicists should keep pointing out the different aspects of risks and how they often cannot be reduced or weighed against one another
Medical Ethics and Environmental Ethics
I reflect on the ideas of Van Rensselaer Potter to argue for a rapprochement of medical ethics and environmental ethics
Against Dualisms
I will use the example of nature and nurture, genes and environment to demonstrate how genetic research projects and communication about genes sometimes reinforce outdated and dualistic views on life that are not conducive to a science. I explain the different meanings of epigenetics. I argue that an ethical research practice is a self-reflective practice, and bioethicists and philosophers of science can help with that
Bringing Back the Environment
I reflect on the importance of thinking health and environment together. I give the example of disability caused by pollution. I argue that ‘thinking with’ disability means imagining a future that can sustain all different types of embodiment
A Process Ontology for Bioethics
I continue on the path of a developmental outlook on life. I argue that such an outlook implies that bioethics focuses less on what we can control, for example, what we can know from our genes and more on dealing with chance and uncertainties. I use ideas from Whitehead and process philosophy to challenge a representational approach to bioethics
Research Ethics all the Way Down
In this chapter, I suggest a rapprochement of bioethics and the philosophy of science, specifically philosophy of biology. I describe the case of Paolo Macchiarini and what we can learn about research ethics. I use the ideas of Mary Midgley about philosophical plumbing to argue that getting the concepts right in science and helping scientists get the context right is the first ethical step in science. Hence, the practices of philosophers of scien…
Caring Responsibilities
I describe a care ethics approach that extends beyond individual human relations, using the ideas of Joan Tronto, Maria Puig De La Bellacasa and Viola Cordova. I argue that an ethic of care that is useful for bioethicists transcends the merely human and reflects an underlying truth that human existence is entangled with the world at large
Development
I describe how a truly developmental approach to studying autism, incorporating the experiences of autistic people over time, can lead to better and more ethical autism research. At the same time, I acknowledge that this would imply a thorough reform of the ways research is funded
Prologue
This chapter introduces the major themes of the book. The first theme is that of the many meanings of autism. The second theme is the importance of experience in knowing a phenomenon such as autism. The third theme is looking dynamically at biology.
Labels and Looping Effects
This chapter engages with the work of Erving Goffman, Ian Hacking, Gil Eyal and Dan Navon to describe the impact of classifications on people and the impact of people on classifications. Goffman described the phenomenon of stigma: how a label becomes part of how you and others understand yourself. Ian Hacking has investigated how classifications alter those classified and how those classified alter the classifications themselves, a phenomenon he …
Interlude
This chapter offers some speculative reflections on autism and time. I describe autistic experiences of time in literature and in empirical research. Such experiences may be different from neurotypical experiences of time. However, this does not mean that autistic people are permanently out of sync with neurotypical people and vice versa. Respecting each other’s vulnerability is a question of adapting the own behaviour to accommodate the other an…
What DNA ancestry testing can and cannot tell us
Ethical Responsibilities Towards Dogs
Towards an Ethics of Autism
What does it mean to say that someone is autistic? Dynamics of Autism is an exploration of this question and many more. In this thoughtful, wide-ranging book, Kristien Hens examines a number of perspectives on autism, including psychiatric, biological, and philosophical, to consider different ways of thinking about autism, as well as its meanings to those who experience it, those who diagnose it, and those who research it. Hens delves into the hi…
The ethics of autism
The diagnosis of autism is on the rise. Autistic people, parents, professionals, and policy makers alike face important questions about the right approach toward autism. For example, there are questions about the desirability of early detection, the role and consequences of underlying cognitive theories, and whether autism is a disorder to be treated or an identity to be respected. How does the fact that autism is a heterogeneous concept affect t…
Parental Choices and the Prospect of Regret
Is the question ‘will you regret it if you do (not do) this?’ helpful when people face difficult life decisions, such as terminating a pregnancy if a disability is detected or deciding to become a parent? Despite the commonness of the question in daily life, several philosophers have argued lately against its usefulness. We reconstruct four arguments from recent literature on regret, transformative experience and the use of imagination in deliber…
Ethical Responsibilities Towards Dogs
The use of stored tissue samples from minors for genetic research
Stored tissue sample collections from minors are useful for genetic research. The ethics of the use of stored tissue samples for genetic research continues be a much debated topic of discussion. The use of pediatric samples poses specific ethical questions. Although a substantial corpus of empirical literature exists on the use of samples from adults, not much is known about the opinion of professionals on the use of samples from children. We con…
The Ethics of Postponed Fatherhood
In this paper, I review some of the discussions on procreative beneficence and procreative autonomy in the context of postponed motherhood and compare the considerations to the context of advanced paternal age. In doing so, I will give an overview of the main scientific findings with regard to how older age in men affects the health of future offspring. I shall demonstrate how the discrepancy between the media coverage and policies on postponed m…
Parental Choices and the Prospect of Regret
Is the question ‘will you regret it if you do (not do) this?’ helpful when people face difficult life decisions, such as terminating a pregnancy if a disability is detected or deciding to become a parent? Despite the commonness of the question in daily life, several philosophers have argued lately against its usefulness. We reconstruct four arguments from recent literature on regret, transformative experience and the use of imagination in deliber…
Part of my story. The meaning and experiences of genes and genetics for sperm donor-conceived offspring
Existing empirical research often do not explain which concepts about genetics underlie the assumption that genetic information is deemed important for donor-conceived offspring. This study focused on how donor-conceived individuals following anonymous sperm donation give meaning to and make sense of genes and genetics. Analysis is based on focus groups and interviews with adult donor-conceived offspring. Findings suggest that genes are part of t…
Physician View and Experience of the Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Young Children
Introduction: Clinicians working with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) occupy an important position between parents and the wide-ranging research findings. However, it is not widely known how clinicians view and experience ASD in children, even though their perspective has been shown to significantly influence their work. Material and methods: Sixteen physicians working with preschool children without a diagnosis of (intellectual or o…
The ethics of autism
The diagnosis of autism is on the rise. Autistic people, parents, professionals, and policy makers alike face important questions about the right approach toward autism. For example, there are questions about the desirability of early detection, the role and consequences of underlying cognitive theories, and whether autism is a disorder to be treated or an identity to be respected. How does the fact that autism is a heterogeneous concept affect t…
Prologue
This chapter introduces the major themes of the book. The first theme is that of the many meanings of autism. The second theme is the importance of experience in knowing a phenomenon such as autism. The third theme is looking dynamically at biology.
Labels and Looping Effects
This chapter engages with the work of Erving Goffman, Ian Hacking, Gil Eyal and Dan Navon to describe the impact of classifications on people and the impact of people on classifications. Goffman described the phenomenon of stigma: how a label becomes part of how you and others understand yourself. Ian Hacking has investigated how classifications alter those classified and how those classified alter the classifications themselves, a phenomenon he …
Interlude
This chapter offers some speculative reflections on autism and time. I describe autistic experiences of time in literature and in empirical research. Such experiences may be different from neurotypical experiences of time. However, this does not mean that autistic people are permanently out of sync with neurotypical people and vice versa. Respecting each other’s vulnerability is a question of adapting the own behaviour to accommodate the other an…
Sociological and Historical Explanations of Autism
Autism may have had different meanings throughout history and in different cultures This chapter explores how autism as a phenomenon in the clinic arose over the last century. Although the kinds of people we now call autistic may have always existed, they are given this specific diagnosis only recently. Sociologists and historians have provided several explanations. The rise of the diagnosis of autism may be due to the fact that in the mid twenti…
Difference and Disability
This chapters introduces the neurodiversity approach and describes different models and approaches of disability, such as the medical model, the social model and crip theory. It argues that we cannot subdivide autistic people based on criteria of functioning alone to draw ethical conclusions. Instead, philosophers and ethicists must re-examen their intuitions regarding concepts of autonomy and what it means to lead a good life. We may define auti…
Epistemic Injustice and Language
This chapter explores why it had taken a long time before people considered testimonials of autistic people as valuable input of information. I analyse this as an example of epistemic injustice. I also elaborate on what this means to incorporate experiences of those who cannot express themselves very well in words, such as autistic people who do not use verbal language or people with an intellectual disability. I argue that this does not mean tha…
Dynamic Approaches
This chapter explores dynamic approaches to autism. It engages with the ideas of George Canguilhem to describe a dynamic and context-sensitive approach to pathology. Something becomes pathological in relation to an environment in which it cannot maintain itself. This leads to the experience of suffering. Hanne Dejaegher explores an enactive approach to the mind in general, and autism in particular: sense-making happens in coordination with others…
Cognitive Explanations of Autism
This chapters explores explanatory models of autism and their ethical implications. I describe older explanatory models such as deficit in theory of mind, weak central coherence and problems with executive functioning. Focussing on deficit in theory of mind I demonstrate that problematic assumptions about autistic people and their capacity for emotions and empathy have profound implications for how people look at autistic persons. I also discuss …
The Origins of Autism
This chapter describes how at least three meanings of autism have been around from the start. I take a closer look at original texts about autism: the English text from 1943 by Leo Kanner (1894-1981), 'Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact' and the German book from 1944 by Hans Asperger (1906–1980), 'Die "Autistischen Psychopathen" im Kindesalter'. As child psychiatrist, Leo Kanner viewed autism primarily as a disorder of development. For Ha…
Autism and Genetics
This chapter describes how autism is often called an innate, genetic and lifelong developmental disorder. Indeed, since the beginning of the history of autism as we know it, people have considered it a biological disorder. As a result, for the last forty years most autism research was on its causes, and autism still is primarily conceived of as a phenomenon rooted in genetics. The chapter explore the link between autism and genetics and the meani…
Experiences of Autism
This chapter describes qualitative research of myself and others of the experiences of autistic persons. Such research demonstrates that autism is not solely a fixed identity that is persistent throughout one’s life. The diagnosis is a description of one’s functioning and can form the basis of how others understand you. As such, it is often a welcome explanation of the challenges people experience. But the meaning of autism and of the diagnosis o…
The Nature of Psychiatric Diagnoses
This chapter explores a first meaning of autism, that it is a psychiatric disorder defined in a diagnostic manual. We investigate what a psychiatric disorder is. I give an overview of philosophical discussions about the distinction between mind and brain, psychology and biology. I explain how biological explanations for mental disorders have the advantage that they can take away feelings of guilt and open up routes towards healing. At the same ti…
Epilogue
This chapter first gives an overview of the arguments developed in the different chapters of the book. Then it describes, using early detection of autism as an example, how dynamic approaches to autism can help providing a framework to think about specific clinical-ethical dilemmas.
A plea for an experimental philosophy of medicine
Covid-19 Roundtable
DiGeSt 8(1) General Issue - COVID-19 Roundtable
Towards an Ethics of Autism
What does it mean to say that someone is autistic? Dynamics of Autism is an exploration of this question and many more. In this thoughtful, wide-ranging book, Kristien Hens examines a number of perspectives on autism, including psychiatric, biological, and philosophical, to consider different ways of thinking about autism, as well as its meanings to those who experience it, those who diagnose it, and those who research it. Hens delves into the hi…
Chance Encounters
In this rigorous and necessary book, Kristien Hens brings together bioethics and the philosophy of biology to argue that it is ethically necessary for scientific research to include a place for the philosopher. As well as ethical, their role is conceptual: they can improve the quality and coherence of scientific research by ensuring that particular concepts are used consistently and thoughtfully across interdisciplinary projects. Hens argues that…
Chance encounters
"In this rigorous and necessary book, Kristien Hens brings together bioethics and the philosophy of biology to argue that it is ethically necessary for scientific research to include a place for the philosopher. As well as ethical, their role is conceptual: they can improve the quality and coherence of scientific research by ensuring that particular concepts are used consistently and thoughtfully across interdisciplinary projects. Hens argues tha…
Philosophy (19 obras) · Psychology (18 obras) · Epistemology (17 obras) · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research (16 obras) · Sociology (16 obras) · Political science (14 obras) · Engineering ethics (13 obras) · Engineering (12 obras) · Ethics in medical practice (12 obras) · Law (12 obras)