Issues surrounding death quickly become very emotional, with people polarizing dramatically. But I wonder whether there’s less disagreement about the fundamental, philosophical issues than this might suggest. In the tragic case of Terri Schiavo, for example, the autopsy after her death showed that her brain had suffered massive neural destruction (including destruction of those regions that support vision) and was, as a result, half the normal size. This strongly suggests that she had no awareness, and that no amount of therapy could have brought such awareness back. Had both parties agreed about this—that she had no awareness and that none could be brought back—would they have agreed that her feeding tube ought to be removed?
Be certain to discuss this in terms of material from the lectures, material such as the utilitarian or Kantian frameworks, or the psychological or biological conceptions of what it is to be a person.
The post Issues surrounding death first appeared on COMPLIANT PAPERS.