Intellectual Disability: Ethics, Dehumanization, and a New Moral Community

Intellectual Disability: Ethics, Dehumanization, and a New Moral Community presents an interdisciplinary exploration of the roots and evolution of the dehumanization of people with intellectual disabilities. Chapters examine how an intellectual and cultural foundation was established for the claim that morality requires a narrowly defined form of rationality—a belief the authors contend has contributed to widespread discrimination against, and marginalization of, those with limited cognitive skills. Offering valuable insights for moral philosophers, psychologists, and educators, the book reinforces the importance of an interdisciplinary understanding of the social construction of intellectual disability and offers a more expansive view of moral engagement.

Acknowledgements vii Prologue:Why Study Disability? ix Part I The Roots of Dehumanization 1 1 Intellectual Disability: History and Evolution of Definitions 3 2 The Social Construction of Purgatory: Ideas and Institutions 19 3 A Failure of Intelligence 37 4 The Consequences of Reason: Moral Philosophy and Intelligence 53 Part II Out of the Darkness 77 5 Defining the Person: The Moral and Social Consequences of Philosophies of Selfhood 79 6 Alternative Views of Moral Engagement: Relationality and Rationality 95 7 Culture and Intellectual Disability 116 Part III Disability Ethics for a New Age 131 8 Quality of Life and Perception of Self 133 9 Application and Best Practices: Rights, Education, and Ethics 151 10 Epilogue: Visions of the Future 170 References 177 Name Index 215 Subject Index 225

Heather E. Keith is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Green Mountain College, Vermont. Her work has appeared in such publications as The Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society , The Journal of Chinese Philosophy , Streams of William James , and the Encyclopedia of American Philosophy . Kenneth D. Keith is Professor Emeritus of Psychological Sciences at the University of San Diego. The author, co–author, or editor of more than 100 scientific and professional publications including The Wiley–Blackwell Encyclopedia of Cross–Cultural Psychology , Keith is also a Fellow of the American Psychological Association in the divisions on teaching and on international psychology, and a Fellow of the Western Psychological Association and the Association for Psychological Science.

"It is entirely refreshing to read about intellectual disability from a philosophical and social perspective. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in intellectual disability (be it clinical, academic or personal). It is a useful piece of literature that will aid anyone involved in this field to more readily appreciate the social, moral and historical context of intellectual disability, while providing a useful framework to consider for the future." The International Journal of Developmental Disabilities