what it is Flashcards
what is euthansia?
Euthanasia is a modern practice where a person/persons can be killed on their own terms, whether passively (switching of a life machine) or actively (lethal injection).
is euthanasia becoming more popular?
Euthanasia is being widely adopted in modern western cultures as secularism is becoming more popular. There is more emphasis being placed on the quality of life rather than the sanctity of life.
1.Kant view on euthanasia
Kant argued that people who commit suicide destroy their rationality in service to something
else – pain. And our rationality is more valuable than anything else. So suicide and asking for
euthanasia do not show respect for our own rationality; they do not treat it as an end in itself.
2.weakness with Kant’s view on euthanasia
But this doesn’t deal with cases in which the reason why someone requests euthanasia is because they are about to lose their rational faculties (as in advanced Alzheimer’s disease) or cases in which someone doesn’t have any rational faculties (where children are born without a complete
brain).
3.Kant’s weakness: dignity
rationality is what bestows dignity on human beings, and we must respect people’s dignity. Therefore, a human being who may lose their dignity and their rationality
through illness and pain may legitimately request euthanasia. We respect and protect their dignity
by helping them die in circumstances of their own choosing. This is one of the most powerful
arguments for voluntary euthanasia
- counterargument to kants weakness
deontologists don’t argue that we should always respect someone’s choice when what they
want is morally wrong; sometimes it is morally right to prevent them from doing what they want.
So voluntary euthanasia could still be wrong if wanting to die is morally wrong.
doctors view on euthanasia
think that the idea of administering lethal injections goes against the idea and duties of practising medicine. However, in addition to the duty to protect the lives of their patients, doctors also have the duty to do what is best for their patients, including relieving pain.
One way of trying to respect both duties at once is to allow the patient to die while doing everything possible to ensure their death is painless. In cases in which passive euthanasia is painful, giving large doses of painkillers is permissible, even if this actually causes them to die sooner. (So to intend to kill someone is always wrong, but the intention here is to relieve pain.)
basic util view
Utilitarians believe that any action should cause the greatest happiness for the greatest number, and the end result is what should determine the moral worth of the initial action. Since Euthanasia will increase happiness and decrease pain at the same time, then it is morally correct, t
case study Dianne
In the case of Dianne Pretty, who had motor neurone disease, utilitarian’s would be concerned with the suffering that would result from the decision not to let her die. Bentham developed a hedonic calculus to work out factors like the duration of the pain, it’s intensity, how remote it was etc. He was also concerned with the extent of the suffering
what would utilitarians say about Dianne’s case
her husband would have suffered greatly watching her die in agony. As an Act utilitarian, Bentham would have considered Dianne Pretty’s case individually, and would not have been concerned with the precedent it might set.
Mill adapted the theory to include quality as well as …
the quantity of the pleasure and pain that would result. While he may have supported
euthanasia in the case of an Alzheimer sufferer who would lose their mental capacities, he may have thought differently about Thomas Hyde, who suffered from ALS. In Hyde’s case, he could still have lived a long life and would have been able to enjoy the higher pleasures like reading, watching plays, listening to opera etc. However, Mill placed a high value on individual freedom, saying that one should have sovereignty over the things that didn’t affect other people, whether or not it led to the best outcome for that individual.
what did singer believe
we should look beyond pleasure, to people’s
interests. This sort of ‘welfare’ utilitarianism would ask what was best for the people concerned. In the case of someone suffering from cancer, Singer might ask whether the illness was curable, whether it was terminal and whether it led to great suffering. Singer’s response will be similar to a classical utilitarian response, but will include more than just the pleasure and pain of the individual – it would look at the patient’s overall well-being, welfare or interests.
