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Paññasastra University of Cambodia

Introduction to World Philosophy

Euthanasia(Immanuel Kant)

Presented by Ly Hongly

Introduction

What is Euthanasia?

Types of Euthanasia

Can be Euthanasia justified?

Conclusion

Contents

I. Introduction

The fact of death itself is not a point of contention but the question of when we die is. War, disease, accidents, capital punishment or a myriad of the other circumstances may end our life before its natural course has run.

The motive of the person who commits an act of euthanasia is to benefit the one whose death is brought about.

The New Oxford Dictionary of English defines ‘euthanasia’ as ‘the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma’.

The word "euthanasia" comes straight out of the Greek -- "eu", goodly or well + "thanatos", death = the good death.

II. What is Euthanasia?

III. Types of Euthanasia

Voluntary Euthanasia: euthanasia is requested by the patient voluntarily ( akin to suicide).

Involuntary Euthanasia: euthanasia is occurred when it is performed on a person who is able to provide informed consent, but does not, either because they do not choose to die, or because they were not asked (akin to murder).

III. Types of Euthanasia

Non-voluntary Euthanasia: euthanasia is conducted when the consent of the patient is unavailable, e.g. for child, mentally challenged people, those unconscious and those in vegetative state.

III. Types of Euthanasia

Active Euthanasia

Active

Self-administered Other-administered

Assisted Unassisted Voluntary Involuntary

Non-voluntary

Active euthanasia: killing a patient by active means, for example, injecting a patient with a lethal dose of a drug. Sometimes it is called “aggressive” euthanasia.

Passive Euthanasia

Passive

Purely Other- and Purely

Self-decided Self-decided Other-decided

Non-voluntary Involuntary

Passive euthanasia: intentionally letting a patient die by withholding artificial life support such as a ventilator or feeding tube. Some ethicists distinguish between withholding life support and withdrawing life support (the patient is on life support but then removed from it).

Euthanasia in general could not be morally justified due to the concern on sanctity of life, slippery slope, available better alternatives, etc.

IV. Can be Euthanasia justified?

Immanuel Kant no doubt is a unique scholar contributing to almost every branch of philosophy; even his contribution to ethical issues and to euthanasia in particular is really satisfactory. Kant believes that we are all rational men and must act as such. Rationality should define a human being from any other animal and non-living things. He demands of us to act in ways that do not contradict our very maxims that will end up being a universal law. We should know that our maxim will be treated as a universal law; this should correct whatever abstract or mundane thoughts we carry about.

Conclusion

TH A N KY O U !!!