Judging in the public sphere : a philosophical and empirical inquiry inte ethico-political judgment and public discourse on prenatal diagnosis and screening in the Netherlands and Sweden

Abstract: Judging is quintessential when dealing with a plurality of points of view in society concerning moral and political questions. In this inquiry, the concept of ethico-political judgment is elaborated as an ideal for public deliberation over moral and political questions. Public discourse concerning prenatal diagnosis and screening in the Netherlands and Sweden is empirically inquired into as an example of public deliberation. Public deliberation is a deliberative practice characterized by the giving and asking for reasons in the public sphere. Ethics matter to ethico-political judgment since they provide an opportunity to assess whether or not our reasons are good ones in relation to deliberation in a pluralist public sphere. The capacity to judge is essential for the formation of a judgment in a pluralist society. Judgment is indispensable when the need exists to find common ground.