Cognitive Disabilities, Forms of Exclusion, and the Ethics of Social Interactions
Kevin Timpe
Abstract
Cognitively disabled individuals have been marginalized by our larger culture; they’ve also been marginalized in philosophical discussions. This paper seeks to begin correcting this situation by examining how assumptions which shape our social interactions and expectations disadvantage individuals with a range of cognitive disabilities. After considering Rubella syndrome and autism in detail, I argue that we have a moral obligation to change how we approach social interactions with cognitively disabled individuals.
Topics & Concepts
DisadvantageObligationPsychologyCognitionCognitive disabilitiesSocial psychologySociologyMoral obligationAutismSocial exclusionSocial cognitionSocial model of disabilityDevelopmental psychologyEpistemologyPolitical scienceLawNeurosciencePsychiatryPhilosophyNeuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical InnovationsFree Will and AgencyPsychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment