Frankenstein society and monster state

Authors

Abstract

This work assumes, like Aristotle, that ethics belongs to the individual sphere, not to the political one; and that the role of the State is to seek justice, which means to diminish the iniquities. Ethics does not aim theoretical knowledge, but instead the concept of humanization and the consequent reduction of inequalities. However, nowadays National State does not fulfill its fundamental role of promoting justice and development, behaving as a sort of anti-ethical monster who dehumanizes its people in a vicious cycle of objectifying man and denying him his most basic rights. This paper intends to discuss the aporia in the relationship between ethics and State, in the context of the values crisis, using 18th century Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and his monster as an allegory.

Author Biography

Érica Rios de Carvalho, Universidade Católica do Salvador

Graduada em Direito pela Universidade Católica do Salvador (2009); Pós-Graduada em Direito Privado pelo CEJUS (2011); Mestra em Políticas Sociais e Cidadania pela Universidade Católica do Salvador (2015). Atualmente é Doutoranda em Políticas Sociais e Cidadania (UCSal), membro do Núcleo de Estudos sobre Instituições e Governação (NEIG/UCSal) e do Núcleo de Pesquisa em Juventudes e Identidades (NPEJI).

Published

2016-12-09

How to Cite

de Carvalho, Érica R. (2016). Frankenstein society and monster state. Revista Jurídica Portucalense, (20), 30–49. Retrieved from https://revistas.rcaap.pt/juridica/article/view/8548

Issue

Section

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH