How to Cite:
Mr. Anika Dhammaweera, "Ethics Without Personhood? Buddhist Arguments Against the Ontology of the Individual in Bioethical Debates" International Journal of Humanities Science Innovations and Management Studies, Vol. 2, No. 3, pp. 25-31, 2025.

Abstract:
This paper explores how classical and contemporary Buddhist philosophy challenges the Western bioethical emphasis on individual personhood as the foundational unit of moral consideration. In many Western bioethical frameworks particularly those influenced by Kantian and liberal traditions the moral status of an entity often hinges on characteristics such as rationality, autonomy, and continuity of identity. Buddhism, however, fundamentally rejects the metaphysical notion of a permanent, enduring self (ātman), advancing instead a doctrine of anattā (non-self). By drawing on Pali canonical texts, Madhyamaka philosophy, and contemporary Buddhist ethics, this paper argues that Buddhist thought offers an alternative ethical framework grounded in dependent origination (paṭicca-samuppāda), compassion (karuṇā), and the interdependence of all sentient life. This perspective disrupts dominant bioethical categories, particularly in debates over abortion, end-of-life care, personhood in brain death, and animal ethics. Instead of moral worth being tied to personhood or individual identity, Buddhist ethics focuses on alleviating suffering and respecting the conditions of sentient experience. This decentering of the “individual” opens up possibilities for a more relational, process-oriented approach to bioethical reasoning one that critiques the ontological assumptions of mainstream liberal bioethics and offers a globally inclusive ethical vision.

Keywords: Buddhist Ethics, Personhood, Non-Self (Anattā), Bioethics, Dependent Origination (Paṭicca-Samuppāda) Abortion, End-Of-Life Decisions, Brain Death, Moral Ontology, Compassion (Karuṇā), Interdependence, Buddhist Philosophy.

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