Kevin Behrens
Biographic Data
| ID | 5134078 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Kevin Behrens |
| GIVEN NAMES | Kevin |
| FAMILY NAME | Behrens |
| SIGNATURE | BEHRENS K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of the Witwatersrand |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-7595-7486 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 10 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 16 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 10 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2009 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Cross-linguistic comparison of agreement verbs in sign languages, their inventory sizes and motivation for verb class affiliation
Most sign languages have a class of verbs that possess the ability to mark agreement with the subject and/or object by spatial markers within the signing space. The size of this verb class is comparatively small, ranging from zero verbs to as many as 148 verbs. One factor that determines this size is the type of sign language. There are deaf community sign languages, that are spoken predominantly among d/Deaf people, and rural sign languages that…
Toward an Africanized Bioethics Curriculum
Although many bioethicists have given attention to the special health issues of Africa and to the ethics of research on the continent, only a handful have considered these issues through the lens of African moral thought. The question has been for the most part neglected as to what a distinctively African moral perspective would be for the analysis and teaching of bioethics issues. To address the oversight, the authors of this paper describe emba…
A critique of the principle of ‘respect for autonomy’, grounded in African thought
I give an account how the principle of ‘respect for autonomy’ dominates the field of bioethics, and how it came to triumph over its competitors, ‘respect for persons’ and ‘respect for free power of choice’. I argue that ‘respect for autonomy’ is unsatisfactory as a basic principle of bioethics because it is grounded in too individualistic a worldview, citing concerns of African theorists and other communitarians who claim that the principle fails…
Assisted dying
Opponents of legalising assisted dying often make the Argument from Sufficient Palliation. On the premise that advances in palliative treatment have made it possible to free terminal patients from pain and distress, the argument concludes that assisted dying is unnecessary. I assert that this argument fails. Firstly, the premise is false because patients respond differently to analgesics and many continue to experience intractable pain even on me…
Managing Human Tissue Transfer Across National Boundaries – An Approach from an Institution in S outh A frica
With biobank research on the increase and the history of exploitation in A frica, it has become necessary to manage the transfer of human tissues across national boundaries. There are many accepted templates of M aterial T ransfer A greements ( MTA s) that currently exist internationally. However, these templates do not address the specific concerns of S outh A frica and even of A frica as a continent. This article will examine three significantl…
Great Expectations
Many academic philosophers and ethicists are appointed to teach ethics to medical students. We explore exactly what this task entails. In S outh A frica the Health Professions Council's curriculum for training medical practitioners requires not only that students be taught to apply ethical theory to issues and be made aware of the legal and regulatory requirements of their profession, it also expects moral formation and the inculcation of profess…
Virginity testing in South Africa
The Children's Act (Act No. 38 of 2005) and its associated regulations allow for virginity tests to be performed on male and female children over the age of 16. This is subject to a number of legislated conditions, including that informed consent should be obtained. In this article I argue that, whilst it is important that the right to social and cultural practice be protected in South Africa, virginity testing is a practice that cannot be morall…
An African Relational Environmentalism and Moral Considerability
Moral obligations towards future generations in African thought
Given the importance of being able to account for moral obligations towards future generations, especially in the light of the problem of global climate change, I argue that there are under-appreciated notions in African thought that are able to significantly contribute to the on-going discourse with respect to inter-generational moral obligations. I identify two related African notions, both springing from the prominent belief that ancestors who…
Tony Yengeni’s Ritual Slaughter
I address the question: ‘Are acts of the ritual slaughter of animals, of the kind recently engaged in by the Yengeni family, morally justifiable?’ Using the Yengeni incident as a springboard for my discussion, I focus on the moral question of the relative weight of two competing ethical claims. I weigh the claim that we have an obligation not to cause animals pain without good reason against the claim by cultures that traditional practices, such …
Tony Yengeni’s Ritual Slaughter
I address the question: ‘Are acts of the ritual slaughter of animals, of the kind recently engaged in by the Yengeni family, morally justifiable?’ Using the Yengeni incident as a springboard for my discussion, I focus on the moral question of the relative weight of two competing ethical claims. I weigh the claim that we have an obligation not to cause animals pain without good reason against the claim by cultures that traditional practices, such …
An African Relational Environmentalism and Moral Considerability
Assisted dying
Opponents of legalising assisted dying often make the Argument from Sufficient Palliation. On the premise that advances in palliative treatment have made it possible to free terminal patients from pain and distress, the argument concludes that assisted dying is unnecessary. I assert that this argument fails. Firstly, the premise is false because patients respond differently to analgesics and many continue to experience intractable pain even on me…
Virginity testing in South Africa
The Children's Act (Act No. 38 of 2005) and its associated regulations allow for virginity tests to be performed on male and female children over the age of 16. This is subject to a number of legislated conditions, including that informed consent should be obtained. In this article I argue that, whilst it is important that the right to social and cultural practice be protected in South Africa, virginity testing is a practice that cannot be morall…
Tony Yengeni’s Ritual Slaughter
I address the question: ‘Are acts of the ritual slaughter of animals, of the kind recently engaged in by the Yengeni family, morally justifiable?’ Using the Yengeni incident as a springboard for my discussion, I focus on the moral question of the relative weight of two competing ethical claims. I weigh the claim that we have an obligation not to cause animals pain without good reason against the claim by cultures that traditional practices, such …
Moral obligations towards future generations in African thought
Given the importance of being able to account for moral obligations towards future generations, especially in the light of the problem of global climate change, I argue that there are under-appreciated notions in African thought that are able to significantly contribute to the on-going discourse with respect to inter-generational moral obligations. I identify two related African notions, both springing from the prominent belief that ancestors who…
Great Expectations
Many academic philosophers and ethicists are appointed to teach ethics to medical students. We explore exactly what this task entails. In S outh A frica the Health Professions Council's curriculum for training medical practitioners requires not only that students be taught to apply ethical theory to issues and be made aware of the legal and regulatory requirements of their profession, it also expects moral formation and the inculcation of profess…
Virginity testing in South Africa
The Children's Act (Act No. 38 of 2005) and its associated regulations allow for virginity tests to be performed on male and female children over the age of 16. This is subject to a number of legislated conditions, including that informed consent should be obtained. In this article I argue that, whilst it is important that the right to social and cultural practice be protected in South Africa, virginity testing is a practice that cannot be morall…
An African Relational Environmentalism and Moral Considerability
Managing Human Tissue Transfer Across National Boundaries – An Approach from an Institution in S outh A frica
With biobank research on the increase and the history of exploitation in A frica, it has become necessary to manage the transfer of human tissues across national boundaries. There are many accepted templates of M aterial T ransfer A greements ( MTA s) that currently exist internationally. However, these templates do not address the specific concerns of S outh A frica and even of A frica as a continent. This article will examine three significantl…
Assisted dying
Opponents of legalising assisted dying often make the Argument from Sufficient Palliation. On the premise that advances in palliative treatment have made it possible to free terminal patients from pain and distress, the argument concludes that assisted dying is unnecessary. I assert that this argument fails. Firstly, the premise is false because patients respond differently to analgesics and many continue to experience intractable pain even on me…
A critique of the principle of ‘respect for autonomy’, grounded in African thought
I give an account how the principle of ‘respect for autonomy’ dominates the field of bioethics, and how it came to triumph over its competitors, ‘respect for persons’ and ‘respect for free power of choice’. I argue that ‘respect for autonomy’ is unsatisfactory as a basic principle of bioethics because it is grounded in too individualistic a worldview, citing concerns of African theorists and other communitarians who claim that the principle fails…
Toward an Africanized Bioethics Curriculum
Although many bioethicists have given attention to the special health issues of Africa and to the ethics of research on the continent, only a handful have considered these issues through the lens of African moral thought. The question has been for the most part neglected as to what a distinctively African moral perspective would be for the analysis and teaching of bioethics issues. To address the oversight, the authors of this paper describe emba…
Cross-linguistic comparison of agreement verbs in sign languages, their inventory sizes and motivation for verb class affiliation
Most sign languages have a class of verbs that possess the ability to mark agreement with the subject and/or object by spatial markers within the signing space. The size of this verb class is comparatively small, ranging from zero verbs to as many as 148 verbs. One factor that determines this size is the type of sign language. There are deaf community sign languages, that are spoken predominantly among d/Deaf people, and rural sign languages that…
Political science (8 works) · Law (7 works) · Sociology (7 works) · Philosophy (6 works) · Environmental ethics (5 works) · Epistemology (5 works) · Psychology (5 works) · Ethics in medical practice (4 works) · African cultural and philosophical studies (3 works) · Engineering ethics (3 works)