PHI 2396 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Euthanasia, Deontological Ethics, Life Is Worth Living
14 Sep 2016
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Callahan: there are four groups of arguments in favour of euthanasia which he will argue against. Self-determination / autonomy a universal ethical principle (remember deontology!) In virtue of this principle if someone decides that her life is no longer good, she could terminate it. Callahan: in the case of assisted suicide (euthanasia), self-determination doesn"t hold any more, it is a social decision between two individuals, the one to be killed and the other, to be the killer. (*engaging someone else) Suffering, like anything else in human life, is a function of the values of individuals, it is not merely a physical state. By consenting to be killed, we give the right to a medical doctor to be the judge of not only our physical condition but also, of out values, etc. This is unacceptable: no moral distinction between active and passive euthanasia (rachels argument) Callahan: rachels" argument is based on a confusion of causality and culpability.
