Includes bibliographical references and index.

Why study disability? -- Part I. The roots of dehumanization. Intellectual disability: history and evolution of definitions -- The social construction of Purgatory: ideas and institutions -- A failure of intelligence -- The consequences of reason: moral philosophy and intelligence -- Part II. Out of the darkness. Defining the person: The moral and social consequences of philosophies of selfhood -- Alternative views of moral engagement: relationality and rationality -- Culture and intellectual disability -- Part III. Disability ethics for a new age. Quality of life and perception of self -- Application and best practices: rights, education, and ethics -- Visions of the future.

"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. This book: Examines the roots of disability ethics from a psychological, philosophical, and educational perspective ; Presents a coherent, sustained moral perspective in examining the historical dehumanization of people with diminished cognitive abilities ; Includes a series of narratives and case descriptions to illustrate arguments ; Reveals the importance of an interdisciplinary understanding of the social construction of intellectual disability."--Publisher's website.

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