Assisted suicide and euthanasia : a natural law ethics approach / Craig Paterson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Paterson, Craig, 1965-

Series:

Live questions in ethics and moral philosophy.

Live questions in ethics and moral philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Assisted suicide--Moral and ethical aspects.

Assisted suicide.

Euthanasia--Moral and ethical aspects.

Euthanasia.

Medical ethics.

Natural law.

Physical Description:

217 p. ; 24cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Aldershot, England ; Burlington, VT : Ashgate, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"As medical technology advances and severely injured or ill people can be kept alive and functioning long beyond what was previously medically possible, the debate surrounding the ethics of end-of-life care and quality-of-life issues has grown more urgent. In this lucid and vigorous new book, Craig Paterson discusses assisted suicide and euthanasia from a fully fledged but non-dogmatic secular natural law perspective. He rehabilitates and revitalises the natural law approach to moral reasoning by developing a pluralistic account of just why we are required by practical rationality to respect and not violate key demands generated by the primary goods of persons, especially human life. Important issues that shape the moral quality of an action are explained and analysed: intention/foresight; action/omission; action/consequences; killing/letting die; innocence/non-innocence; and, person/non-person. Paterson defends the central normative proposition that 'it is always a serious moral wrong to intentionally kill an innocent human person, whether self or another, notwithstanding any further appeal to consequences or motive'."--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

Justifications for suicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia

A revised natural law ethics

The good of human life

Suicide, assisted suicide and voluntary euthanasia

Non-voluntary and involuntary euthanasia

State intervention and the common good.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [185]-209) and index.

OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.

ISBN:

1-351-57508-2

1-315-09676-5

1-351-57507-4

1-281-33275-5

0-7546-5746-9

9786611332754

0-7546-9295-7

9781315096766

OCLC:

560654069