Still dying after all these years: a classical library for contemporary controversies

A review and discussion of Death, Dying and the Ending of Life, edited by Margaret P. Battin, Leslie P. Francis, and Bruce M. Landesman. Ashgate Publishing, 2007. The many philosophical ethical legal, and social aspects of death and the dying process remain deeply controversial despite substantial and continuous public discussion and debate about them. Springing from an in-depth review of a newly-published compilation of some of the most seminal writings in this area, the author in this essay reflects on and systematically analyzes how the classical literature of the past millennium has set the intellectual stage and in many respects established the rules of engagement for modern discourse on end-of-life decisions and decision-making.