Examlex
Thomas Nagel: Death
Suppose that death is the permanent end of human existence. If so, is death bad for the person who dies? Some argue that such a claim is senseless, on the grounds that nothing can be bad for a person who no longer exists. Nagel rejects these arguments, and defends the view that death is bad for us. In Nagel's view, death is not bad because of any of the positive features of death, but because it deprives us of the goods that life contains. Nagel defends his view from three objections.
The first objection is based on the assumption that nothing can be good or bad for someone unless it is experienced as pleasant or unpleasant. Because the dead do not experience anything, it seems that death cannot be bad for us. Nagel responds by denying the assumption behind the objection. We can be harmed by people betraying us behind our backs and without our knowledge, and we can even be harmed by people neglecting our wishes after our deaths.
The second objection is that death cannot be bad for a person, because after death there is simply no subject for which anything can be good or bad. In response, Nagel claims that it would be bad for a person to be reduced to the cognitive level of an infant, even if he remained perfectly content. The badness of such a fate is not undermined by the contention that the original person no longer exists, for the badness is grounded in the contrast between what actually transpired and possible alternatives. Such a fate is bad because it deprives a person of potential goods. Nagel claims that death is similar in this respect.
The third, and final, objection is this: because we were not harmed by our prenatal nonexistence, we cannot be harmed by posthumous nonexistence. Nagel responds that although our nonexistence before our birth did not deprive us of anything, death deprives us of time that we would otherwise be alive. Ultimately, then, Nagel concludes that these three objections fail to undermine the thought that death is bad for us.
-Nagel claims that the value of life attaches to:
Postanesthesia Care
The immediate care provided to patients recovering from anesthesia following surgery. This care aims to ensure patients regain consciousness safely and manage pain or any complications.
Perioperative Period
The time span encompassing the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative phases of a patient's surgical procedure.
Preoperative Medication
Drugs administered before a surgical procedure to reduce anxiety, manage pain, or minimize the risk of postoperative complications.
Operating Room
A sterile environment in a healthcare facility where surgical procedures are carried out.
Q3: According to Shue, some people object to
Q5: In Powell v. Alabama, the Court overturned
Q7: In Simmons v. South Carolina, the defense
Q10: In the Holland case, the Supreme Court
Q13: If the judge, not the jury, determines
Q20: Which Amendment is used to protect inmates
Q21: What are some of the most important
Q22: According to Timmerman, Singer's argument is invalid.
Q26: According to the text, special attention should
Q27: Wolf-Devine argues that racial and ethnic minorities