Kim, what you're doing may be so cutting-edge that it is unprecedented!  But you do put me in mind of Susan Brison's objection to a somewhat heinous analogy with rape, as she cites it on p.6 of Aftermath, " 'What principally distinguishes rape from normal sexual activity is the consent of the raped woman' (Harrison 1986, 52)." She objects that there's no parallel to this for other crimes such as theft or murder; she notes that theft is not "coerced gift-giving" and that no one would dream of describing murder as "assisted suicide minus consent."  Her point, and you may find this helpful in your endeavor, is that philosophers may draw analogies in order to employ abstract and universal methods at the expense of first-person narratives or empirical evidence.  This is an ethical and epistemological set of concerns, not identical to the ones you're identifying, but related.  She emphasizes that some topics cannot be broached without victims' narratives, that at times the logical analogy is morally wrong to deploy.

Kate

Kathryn Norlock ([log in to unmask])

Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:41:46 -0400
From: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Help with the ethics of analogies?
To: [log in to unmask]


Hi All

I'm wondering if anyone might be able to suggest a few resources for me on the ethics of analogies.  I'm currently writing about how critics of gamete donation often make strong use of an analogy to adoption in order to draw out the moral issues they believe are salient.  I'm critical of this analogy for a number of reasons that extend beyond the issue of  aptness.  Are there any good papers that consider how analogies (both in their making and in their uptake) can appropriate and/or misrecognize the experience of a group?  I'm also struggling with what terminology to use to describe what I find un-ethical about this analogy's use in terms of both what it assumes or relies upon and what it seems to accomplish/establish through its use.  I'm not sure what to call the kind of reinscription I see at the heart of the analogy and its use.

Thanks in advance for any assistance!  I know it's a horribly busy time of year, so ANY quick reference would be appreciated.  You can reach me via my personal [log in to unmask] I'll happily post a list of references to the group should I be able to gather one.

Warmest wishes,
Kim

--
Kimberly J. Leighton, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Philosophy and Religion
American University
121 Battelle Tompkins
4400 Massachusetts Avenue
Washington, DC 20016
ph 202-885-2415
fx  202-885-1094
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