Filosofie & Praktijk - Volume 46, Issue 4, 2025

Despite the connection between criminal law and ethics, many lawyers find it problematic to use ethics as their guide. They fear that applying morality may lead to the false impression that law may be overridden. Although understandable, it overlooks the fact that using a normative framework can also be meaningful. This is for instance the case with euthanasia, the active termination of life (or assisted suicide) by physicians at a patient’s voluntary and well-informed request because of unbearable suffering without any prospect of improvement. By means of the question ‘can an illegal act still be just?’, this article addresses the collision between ethics and criminal law. Inspired by the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas this article focuses on how the concept of legal responsibility in euthanasia cases can be deepened by means of ethics, whilst still acknowledging that legal rules must be complied with.

This essay explores how epistemic injustice arises within healthcare practice, using the long-overlooked ‘female heart’ as a central example. The atypical symptoms experienced by women were not noticed because medical norms were based on the male body. The dominant biopsychosocial (BPS) model also falls short: although it aims to integrate body, mind, and context, it often does so in a standardized and control-oriented manner that leaves little room for subjective experience and variation. The essay argues that this approach results in the exclusion and reduction of meaningful forms of knowledge. By placing evolutionary thinking at the center – where variation and adaptation are crucial – and introducing the concept of hermeneutic physics, a shift in physiotherapy and rehabilitation becomes possible. This perspective recognizes the body as a complex, dynamic system in constant interaction with its environment. It creates space for a more inclusive, just, and meaningful approach to care – one in which experiential knowledge is taken seriously.