O reconhecimento das capacidades humanas em uma sociedade decente: por um conceito jurídico de vulnerabilidade para as pessoas idosas

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the elderly in the context of the multiple vulnerabilities they experience as a result of their physical fragility, especially with regard to care related to their health, which is the main reason for their vulnerability. The possibilities of gauging a legal concept of vulnerability were worked out, based on the theories formulated by Axel Honneth, Martha Nussbaum and Avishai Margalit, specifically regarding the concepts of struggle for recognition, capabilities, disgust and decent society. The vulnerability of the elderly is something multifactorial, which can be aggravated by intrinsic and extrinsic issues. Among the factors, issues related to social integration, capabilities, resilience, as well as legal factors, addressed by international human rights law. The vulnerability of the elderly person has been defined based on biological criteria or, only as a result of the passage of time, however, it shows that it has factors in common with other vulnerable populations. The thesis is defended that it is not enough to just “add” one vulnerability to another, because, as a result of the competition of several vulnerating factors, it cannot be understood that the elderly person is vulnerable simply because they are.

Esta tesis se centra en las personas mayores en el contexto de las múltiples vulnerabilidades que experimentan como consecuencia de su fragilidad física, especialmente en lo que se refiere a los cuidados relacionados con su salud, que es la razón principal de su vulnerabilidad. Se trabajaron las posibilidades de dimensionar un concepto jurídico de vulnerabilidad, a partir de las teorías formuladas por Axel Honneth, Martha Nussbaum y Avishai Margalit, específicamente en lo que se refiere a los conceptos de lucha por el reconocimiento, capacidades, asco y sociedad digna. La vulnerabilidad de los adultos mayores es algo multifactorial, que puede verse agravada por cuestiones intrínsecas y extrínsecas. Entre los factores, temas relacionados con la integración social, capacidades, resiliencia, así como factores legales, abordados por el derecho internacional de los derechos humanos. La vulnerabilidad del adulto mayor ha sido definida con base en criterios biológicos o, únicamente, como resultado del paso del tiempo, sin embargo, muestra que tiene factores en común con otras poblaciones vulnerables. Se defiende la tesis de que no basta con “sumar” una vulnerabilidad a otra, ya que, como resultado de la competencia de varios factores vulnerantes, no se puede entender que la persona mayor es vulnerable por el simple hecho de serlo.