Philosophical Foundations of Privacy

Abstract

This chapter reviews the important literature, mostly in philosophy, that discusses privacy. Here the concept “privacy” is analyzed and the various theories laid out to provide a background for the more treatment later in the book. The chapter reviews how the major theories have defined the concept. The analysis of the concept leads to a discussion of privacy in relation with other important philosophical topics, such as autonomy, privacy, and justice, as well as the metaphysical problem of privacy and the individual. The last topic is important because Buddhism presupposes this view of the individual ultimately as a construct. This is in contrast with the standard liberal theory where normative guidelines on privacy rest on the notion of an autonomous, fully subsistent individual.