[Brain death and thanatology]

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Neuroscience
• Bioethics

Context:

• Advancements in medical technology blur the lines between life and death.
• Current definitions of brain death are based on specific philosophical conventions.
• The 'twilight zone' between life and death presents complex ethical challenges.

Purpose:

• To critically examine the definition of brain death as the death of a human person.
• To explore the concept of an 'ethics of intransparence' in end-of-life decision-making.
• To establish a framework for justified informed consent for organ donation.

Summary:

• The study argues that the current definition of brain death is a philosophical convention, not an absolute truth.
• An 'ethics of intransparence' is proposed, allowing for individual decisions under specific conditions.
• This ethical approach supports informed, ex ante consent for organ donation as a justified practice.

Impact:

• Provides a novel ethical framework for navigating end-of-life decisions.
• Offers a philosophical basis for the validity of informed consent in organ donation.
• Addresses the ethical ambiguities arising from new medical technologies in defining death.