Political Philosophy and Bioethics

Dear Colleagues,

Vulnerability is a key concept in traditional and contemporary philosophy. Etymologically, vulnerability mostly refers to the susceptibility of being physically or emotionally wounded. Yet, besides this prima facie characterization, the notion of vulnerability has eschewed a univocal definition, both within and across distinct threads of literature. In particular, the literature does not make clear how vulnerability should be construed, interpreted, and applied. There are significant controversies concerning the epistemological status of the notion, its content and scope, its consequences for healthcare practices, and even its ineffectiveness. While vulnerability is received by some as an innovative and useful notion, others reject it as useless and confusing.

Nonetheless, the scholarly literature on vulnerability is growing, and this concept has already been pervasively applied in different theoretical domains spanning from political philosophy to applied ethics and its subdomains (e.g., bioethics, research ethics). 

In addition to its theoretical characterization, contemporary strains in the literature have also addressed vulnerability as a bottom-up and situational phenomenon, investigating, for instance, conditions originating from or related to vulnerability. One striking example of these potential conditions, which is worth reflecting upon, is the exceptional experience of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, which might have exacerbated already existing vulnerabilities or created new ones.

Several contributions have also investigated potential differences between vulnerability as a concept and the vulnerability of specific individuals or groups. In this respect, while some scholars focus on the question of who should be granted the title of a vulnerable individual and why (e.g., older adults and minors in the context of biomedical research), others reject a priori definitions, considering vulnerability a more complex and layer-based phenomenon with also potential socio-political and economic implications (e.g., poverty as a condition for greater vulnerability in developing countries, in the context of public health).

Given this scenario, it has become of the utmost importance to comprehensively map the concept of vulnerability to construct a broad picture of its meanings and interpretations.

This Special Issue aims to answer several interrelated research questions:

1. What are the different meanings, connotations, and accounts of vulnerability in the philosophical and bioethical literature? What relationships do they have amongst each other (e.g., are they compatible? Or do they exclude each other)?
2. What is the epistemological status of vulnerability as presented in the bioethical literature (i.e., is it a meta-level principle, or something else)?
3. What are the moral and political obligations, if any, that follow from the acknowledgment of vulnerability as reported in the bioethical literature?
4. What means are available to address vulnerability? Are there socio-political measures that can be implemented?

Prof. Dr. Roberta Sala
Dr. Virginia Sanchini
Guest Editors

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