At a time when technology can sustain marginal life, it is ever moreimportant to understand what constitutes a person. What are the medical,ethical, moral, mental, legal, and philosophical criteria that determineprotectable human life?Following immediately on the publication of his highly praised book Choosing Who's to Live, James Walters addresses with depth and wisdom anotherambitious and complicated matter: determining the nature of personhood.By providing a much-needed religious/philosophical context for the discussion--examiningcontemporary thinking on just what constitutes valuable life--Waltersbroadens his inquiry beyond the human to include other animals and dealswith the phenomenon of anencephalic infants, those who are born withouthigher brains.Searching for a measurable and humane standard of personhood, Walterslooks at the current definition of it and declares it inadequate--offeringinstead the idea of proximate personhood, with criteria for helping todetermine which individuals possess a unique claim to life.
