"No doubt, we ought to understand that first there was a definition of 'human.' Beyond the limited understanding of what a 'human" is, which was established not by simply taking care of them, but by dealing with them, an 'inner part' emerged. I think this 'inner part,' which emerged from that particular point, is what we call 'logic.'" (Murase 1985→1991:184-185)
Duden states (1991=1993:162) that, the phrase "respect life" contains a political slogan advocating that one should not punish his/ her enemy, even if one whose intentions are homicidal. The term "life," as it is used in today's advertisements, from powdered soups to bathtubs, has become a popular key word. The meaning of the term "life" is ambiguous, but at the same time filled with meaning. It has become one of the declarations of struggles, even though it does not withstand a thorough analysis of its usage.
If we were to make such a statement in Chapter 4, the major questions of life begin to surface; what type of a life existence should not be usurped or intervened upon? As with all issues, each is a problem within its own context; the problems of realms and the boundaries. If one is to say that everything besides oneself amount to "Other", is it not true that we should accept every existence of "Other". If so, does not the statement indicate that we are to cope with everything around us indifferently? We will be examining such problems in this chapter. To address the basic subjects of "Bioethics," we should think about the inherent privileges of human beings, as well as the issue of when life should be called a person. In this chapter, we will state a different perspective on these issues than the conventional "Science."
Within the framework of personal proprietary rights, one may assert that the issue of respecting "Other" has been properly stated. Let us examine the differences of the concept in Section 1 and what we have been talking about here. A "person" is a requisite for the former, but the latter reconfirms that that is not case. However, if we state this, then a question appears in setting the realm of destruction.
In Section 2, let us examine our inability to find an objective criterion, which is considered to be the same as taking the "same" basis. However, a "same" situation might be a relevant issue. There are differences in the appearance of existence for us. Let us confirm that an appearance of existence is different, depending on where one stands. Let us discuss how people hesitate to usurp things from other people.
In Section 3, let us examine the reasons why humans have privileges. Let us also examine and point out the problems of assertions that use human "types" as grounds for an assertion, while making the original characteristics of humans and nature as "qualifications." The simple fact is that we should pay attention to how a human is born and how a human grows, rather than using human "types" as grounds for qualification.
In Section 4, let us examine the issue of what constitutes a person and especially, at which point does a living form become a person. Furthermore, we will examine "who" decides when this living form becomes a person. Let us examine an assertion that there are times when we cannot make a decision on a person. After we point out the problems of the assertion, in which logic argues about a woman's possessions of her own physical body or the child's body (a fetus), there is probable justification, based on a woman's position, where her "right to self-decision" is tied to the emergence of feeling the child, who is "Other."