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© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to
Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
L. Westra et al. (eds.), Ecological Integrity in Science and Law,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46259-8_6
Using Science and Law to Promote
Humans’ Biological Integrity
Carl F. Cranor
Abstract This chapter first briefly considers the idea of humans’ biological
integrity and a characterization of chronic diseases, the dominant source of illness
in developed countries. Next, it reviews some highlights of chronic disease risks to
the most vulnerable of humans, children, and, finally, considers how both science
and the law can fail to protect the public, or in contrast how they can protect the
public much better than at present.
1 Human Biological Integrity
Biological integrity is typically seen as “the inviolability of the physical body and
emphasizes the importance of personal autonomy and the self-determination of
human beings over their own bodies” (Findwords). I disregard much of this highly
normative account, focusing only the “inviolability of the physical body.” I gloss
this with the idea that people have biological integrity provided they have sufficiently good health to flourish in their society as the thinking, goal-oriented creatures humans are (compared to less endowed biological entities such as sheep or
birds) (Daniels 1981).
Serious chronic diseases or dysfunctions, can substantially disrupt or burden
humans’ opportunities (relative to the community of which they are a part) to pursue careers, life plans, and a full range of prospects into old age for which they have
appropriate talent, abilities and motivations (Fries 1980; Daniels 1981;
Cranor 2017a).
C. F. Cranor (*)
University of California, Department of Philosophy, Riverside, CA, USA
e-mail: carl.cranor@ucr.edu
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive licence to
Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
L. Westra et al. (eds.), Ecological Integrity in Science and Law,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-46259-8_6
Using Science and Law to Promote
Humans’ Biological Integrity
Carl F. Cranor
Abstract This chapter first briefly considers the idea of humans’ biological
integrity and a characterization of chronic diseases, the dominant source of illness
in developed countries. Next, it reviews some highlights of chronic disease risks to
the most vulnerable of humans, children, and, finally, considers how both science
and the law can fail to protect the public, or in contrast how they can protect the
public much better than at present.
1 Human Biological Integrity
Biological integrity is typically seen as “the inviolability of the physical body and
emphasizes the importance of personal autonomy and the self-determination of
human beings over their own bodies” (Findwords). I disregard much of this highly
normative account, focusing only the “inviolability of the physical body.” I gloss
this with the idea that people have biological integrity provided they have sufficiently good health to flourish in their society as the thinking, goal-oriented creatures humans are (compared to less endowed biological entities such as sheep or
birds) (Daniels 1981).
Serious chronic diseases or dysfunctions, can substantially disrupt or burden
humans’ opportunities (relative to the community of which they are a part) to pursue careers, life plans, and a full range of prospects into old age for which they have
appropriate talent, abilities and motivations (Fries 1980; Daniels 1981;
Cranor 2017a).
C. F. Cranor (*)
University of California, Department of Philosophy, Riverside, CA, USA
e-mail: carl.cranor@ucr.edu