The Ethics of Killing: Problems at the Margins of LifeThis magisterial work is the first comprehensive study of the ethics of killing, where the moral status of the individual killed is uncertain. Drawing on philosophical notions of personal identity and the immorality of killing, McMahan looks carefully at a host of practical issues, including abortion, infanticide, the killing of animals, assisted suicide, and euthanasia. |
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accept Account of Egoistic Alzheimer's disease anencephalic animals argument badness of death become a person begin to exist believe brain death brainstem capacity for consciousness cause ceases to exist cerebral deficits cerebral hemispheres cerebrum child chimpanzee claim cognitive comparable continuing to live dementia deprogramming Derek Parfit developed fetus dicephalus earlier egoistic concern euthanasia example fetus's function future harm human organism hylomorphic impersonal implies individual individual's infanticide Innocent interest in continuing intrinsic potential intuitions involving loss matter maximum life span misfortune moral status Nonresponsible Threat Norm Account normal one's Parfit Patient permissible personal identity plausible possible potential to become pregnant woman Progeria prudential unity relations Psychological Account psychological capacities psychological connections psychological continuity relevant respect response reticular formation sanctity seems self-defense sense severely retarded human sortal soul species suffering suicide suppose things being equal Time-Relative Interest Account transplantation victim well-being worse worth living wrongness of killing zygote