The relationship between democracy, human rights, and truth is characterized by ambivalence. Human rights, by their nature, guarantee plurality. Therefore, the influence of truth (whatever it means) on the implementation of human rights must be strictly limited. Rigid adherence to truth or, more precisely, to different views of truth would minimize the protective effect of human rights. Nevertheless, democracy should create discourse spaces where questions of truth can be deliberated. Democratic discourse spaces recognize that »the people« democratic government derives from want their truths to be reflected in the law-making process. But is this possible without the danger of reducing the task of human rights to safeguard plurality? Answers are given by experts of constitutional law, social science, philosophy, and theology.
The relationship between democracy, human rights, and truth is characterized by ambivalence. Human rights, by their nature, guarantee plurality. Therefore, the influence of truth (whatever it means) on the implementation of human rights must be strictly limited. Rigid adherence to truth or, more precisely, to different views of truth would minimize the protective effect of human rights. Nevertheless, democracy should create discourse spaces where questions of truth can be deliberated. Democratic discourse spaces recognize that »the people« democratic government derives from want their truths to be reflected in the law-making process. But is this possible without the danger of reducing the task of human rights to safeguard plurality? Answers are given by experts of constitutional law, social science, philosophy, and theology.
Table of contents:
Stephan Rixen: Die Wiedergewinnung des Menschen als demokratisches Projekt: Partizipationsfreundliche Organisation biopolitischer Differenz -
André Bächtiger/Saskia Goldberg: Deliberation und Biopolitik -
Markus Rothhaar: Biopolitik und Wahrheit? Überlegungen zu einem spannungsreichen Verhältnis -
Peter Dabrock: Zivilgesellschaftliche Bioethik, demokratische Biopolitik und Religionskulturen - ein evangelisch-theologischer Beitrag -
Franz-Josef Bormann: Demokratische Biopolitik und religiöse Wahrheit - eine Erinnerung an die naturrechtliche Tradition der Grundrechtsbegründung aus der Perspektive katholischer Moraltheologie -
Gesa Lindemann: Der soziale Sinn von Grenzziehungen in der Biopolitik -
Sigrid Graumann: Partizipation von Menschen mit Behinderungen bei biopolitischen Entscheidungen - warum überhaupt? -
Markus Möstl: Volksabstimmungen und Biopolitik -
Steffen Augsberg: »Sternstunden des Parlaments«? Ideal und Wirklichkeit biopolitischer Entscheidungsfindung in der repräsentativen Demokratie
