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Re-examining death: against a higher brain criterion.

J Fisher1

  • 1University of New England, New South Wales, Australia.

Journal of Medical Ethics
|January 15, 2000
PubMed
Summary

Redefining death is unnecessary despite medical advances. Current guidelines adequately address care for the permanently unconscious, distinguishing biological death from ontological concepts.

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Area of Science:

  • Medical Ethics
  • Neuroscience
  • Philosophy of Medicine

Background:

  • Advances in medical technology blur the lines between life and death, enabling prolonged support for individuals without consciousness or with whole brain death.
  • Increasing pressure on healthcare resources necessitates clear definitions and guidelines for end-of-life care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically evaluate the proposal of redefining death using a higher brain criterion.
  • To clarify the distinction between biological and ontological concepts of human demise.
  • To determine the necessity of redefining death for managing treatment decisions for the permanently unconscious.

Main Methods:

  • Philosophical analysis of the concepts of death, consciousness, and personhood.
  • Examination of existing medical and ethical frameworks for end-of-life care.
  • Argumentative critique of the higher brain criterion for defining death.

Main Results:

  • The argument for a higher brain criterion conflates biological and ontological aspects of death.
  • Death is fundamentally a biological phenomenon, precluding a higher brain definition.
  • Current medical science casts doubt on the justification of whole brain or brain stem criteria for death.

Conclusions:

  • Redefining death is not required to establish guidelines for treating permanently unconscious individuals.
  • Existing treatment guidelines are sufficient for addressing the care of the irreversibly unconscious.
  • Focus should remain on applying current ethical and medical standards rather than altering the definition of death.
Keywords:
Analytical ApproachDeath and Euthanasia

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