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  • © 2018

Personhood Beyond Humanism

Animals, Chimeras, Autonomous Agents and the Law

  • Presents a unique, critical exploration of the humanistic foundations of the law
  • Proposes an original concept of non-personal legal subjecthood as an alternative to e.g. legal personification of animals
  • Shares an exposition that is of the utmost relevance to current developments in the extra-legal sciences concerning the viability of the traditional legal view of personhood and the humanistic foundations of legal order

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Law (BRIEFSLAW)

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Table of contents (5 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-vi
  2. Introduction

    • Tomasz Pietrzykowski
    Pages 1-5
  3. What Is Legal Personhood?

    • Tomasz Pietrzykowski
    Pages 7-24
  4. The Decline of Juridical Humanism

    • Tomasz Pietrzykowski
    Pages 45-79
  5. Neminem Laedere: Looking for a Way Out

    • Tomasz Pietrzykowski
    Pages 81-109
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 111-115

About this book

This book explores the legal conception of personhood in the context of contemporary challenges, such as the status of non-human animals, human-animal biological mixtures, cyborgisation of the human body, or developing technologies based on artificial autonomic agents. It reveals the humanistic assumptions underlying the legal approach to personhood and examines the extent to which they are undermined by current and imminent scientific and technological advances. Further, the book outlines an original conception of non-personal subjecthood so as to provide adequate normative solutions for the problematic status of sentient animals and other kinds of entities. Arguably, non-personal subjects of law should be regarded as holding one right, and only one right  - the right to be taken into account.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Legal Theory and Philosophy of Law, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Poland

    Tomasz Pietrzykowski

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 64.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access