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James Rachels, Active and Passive Euthanasia
The debates around the practice of mercy killing – that is, euthanasia – have been going on for decades. For instance, the American Medical Association (AMA) distinguishes active euthanasia – prohibited due to being contrary to the medical professions’ beliefs – from passive euthanasia – deemed permissible since no direct action to kill is taken. James Rachels argues that not only are the two not so different from one another from an ethical point of view, but that active euthanasia might even be more favorable in terms of humanity of patient treatment.
The author puts forward four arguments to prove his point. First of all, sometimes letting someone die is more humane that let them suffer until dying. Supposing, one’s days are certainly over and they are in terrible pain. Both the patient and their family agree that it is reasonable to put an end to it. According to AMA, the only thing a doctor can do is to simply withhold treatment without doing anything beyond that – instead of giving lethal injection and stopping the agony.
Secondly, the matters of life and death are frequently handled inadequately. An example of that would be parents deciding on a life of their infant with a Down’s syndrome seemingly based on a baby’s need for an operation for another minor defect. Rachels deems it absurd, since the choice is to clearly be made regarding the syndrome, not trivial problems that make no major difference whatsoever.
Thirdly, moral difference between allowing a person to die and killing them is non-existent. If one’s intentions are good, – or bad – the moral positions of an active participator and an uninvolved spectator are the same. Lastly, the AMA’s implication that only a doctor’s actions are deliberate termination of life is invalid. The author claims that the lack of action is to be considered action as well; in other words, not doing anything is also doing something, thus, the AMA’s wording is debatable.
In conclusion, there is not that big of dissimilarity morally concerning active and passive euthanasia. Rachels suggests that the stance of the American Medical Association on that issue is ill-founded. Sometimes intentional intervention is more reasonable and humane that refraining from doing that, and the legal point of view on euthanasia has to be reconsidered.
Roger Scruton, Sexual Morality
Traditional notions of sex and sexuality are now considered to be highly controversial in Western societies. Roger Scruton was someone who contributed to those, being a well-known advocate for traditionalist conservative views. In a chapter of his book Sexual Desire: A Philosophical Investigation Scruton speaks about sexual desire and erotic love and introduces the notion of sexual morality.
Essentially, sexual morality is the study of human sexuality and the expression of human sexual behavior. According to Scruton, morality is a constraint upon reasons for action and a normal consequence of the possession of a first-person perspective. Therefore, sexual desire and erotic love are parts of human nature. The author argues that the capacity for erotic love is a virtue. Moreover, sexual virtue involves avoiding habits that impede the development of the sexual impulse towards love, as well as acquiring dispositions that encourage that development. For Scruton, sexual morality includes the condemnation of lust and perversion – that is, sexual behavior that is not considered normal. Additionally, sexual discourse turned out to be the discussion of disconnecting sex and marriage.
The acceptance of sexual gratification as an end in itself enabled people to challenge the belief that intimate sexual activity should be limited to marriage. Thus, a liberal discourse emerged, which argued that sexual intimacy involving consenting people who are not married nor plan to marry is acceptable.
In conclusion, the sexualization of the culture undoubtedly contributed to the occurrence of sexual activity in places and among persons formerly prohibited. It is unclear whether Scruton viewed it as a good or a bad thing, but, considering him being a conservative, one might deduce it themselves. Either way, the destruction of particular borders and the following liberation of people can barely be considered a bad thing.
References
Rachels, J. (1975). Active and passive euthanasia. In J.M. Humber (Ed.), Biomedical Ethics and the Law, (pp. 511-516). Springer. Web.
Scruton, R. (1986). Sexual desire: A philosophical investigation. Bloomsbury Publishing.
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