According to one prominent form of moral individualism, how an individual is to be treated is determined, not by considering her group membership, but by considering her own particular characteristics. On this view, so this paper argues, it is not possible to provide an account of why people with profound cognitive disabilities are owed respect. This conclusion is not new, but it has been challenged by writers who are sympathetic to the recommended emphasis. The paper aims to show that the conclusion cannot be avoided, and to look at what is to be learned from an approach that leads us to this point. It suggests that any account of why profoundly disabled people are owed respect will have to supplement discussion of their particular capacities with a normative account of their humanity.

中文翻译：

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尊重、认知能力和严重残疾

根据道德个人主义的一种突出形式，决定如何对待个人不是通过考虑她的群体成员身份，而是通过考虑她自己的特殊特征。因此，本文认为，根据这种观点，不可能解释为什么应该尊重具有严重认知障碍的人。这个结论并不新鲜，但它受到了对建议的强调表示同情的作家的挑战。这篇论文旨在表明结论是不可避免的，并着眼于从引导我们到这一点的方法中可以学到什么。它表明，任何关于为何应尊重严重残疾人士的解释都必须用对其人性的规范解释来补充对其特殊能力的讨论。