Dr. James Helmer
Associate Professor, Theology Department
James E. Helmer is Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at Xavier University (USA). Trained in philosophy and theology, with a doctorate in Christian Ethics from the University of Notre Dame (USA), he specializes in legal and political theory and in issues at the intersections of religion, bioethics (biomedical ethics, neuroethics, and animal ethics) and the law. His current research is focused in two main areas: the ethics of human enhancement, and animal studies/animal ethics, where he is presently developing a monograph that engages questions of animal consciousness and moral standing, animal agency, and the moral and legal rights of non-human animals. He regularly teaches a first year seminar on the ethics of emerging biotechnologies as well as advanced-level undergraduate courses in the areas of Christian ethics, biomedical/healthcare ethics, ecological ethics, and animal ethics.
First Year at Xavier
2012