L.I.F.E. and D.E.A.T.H.
In this short, rhetorical article, I offer a thought experiment that seeks to make an analogy between 'life' and 'disease'. This article was written whilst under the influence of Nietzsche, and I hope that readers will not mistake the polemical style and the occasional nod towards humour for flippancy. This is a serious subject, and this article attempts to ask, inexplicitly, a serious question. If we do suspend our subjective value judgements about life, and strip away what might be considered the 'dogma' of value in life, what effect might this have on our feelings towards voluntary euthanasia, and what can our reaction to that thought experiment tell us?
Ives
Jonathan
J
Centre for Biomedical Ethics, Department of Primary Care and General Practice, The University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. ivesjz@adf.bham.ac.uk
D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D003643:Death; D033101:Euthanasia, Active, Voluntary; D006801:Humans; D019369:Life; D026712:Value of Life