What choices we have may or may not be actually free, but I choose to believe that we must act as if they are.
To be imprisoned "for one's own good" in a medical facility because society values the concept of life more than the individual life itself is a serious moral problem.
To be enslaved to the will of others, when one's own will has been expressed, so that the others can feel better about themselves, is a serious moral problem.
The issue in this particular case is complicated by the fact that Terri Schaivo left no document, though there has been enough testimony to satisfy numerous courts that she had expressed herself on the subject of continuing life support. The issue is not that Terri Schaivo is being disposed of because so much of her brain is gone, but that while she was still capable of expressing herself, she apparently said she would not want to be kept alive in the state in which she was kept. The issue is whether to believe this testimony and to act on her wishes, or to have her wishes overridden by people who "know better" or who want her around so they can feel better about themselves. The rest is just windowdressing.
Prisons don't always have bars. Slavery isn't always equivalent to unpaid labor. Cages can be gilded and full of creature comforts, and a slave can be an item on display. They say it doesn't hurt. Doesn't it?
Off Topic » in reply to A paralyzing experience
Free will
The whole thread (39 posts)
- A paralyzing experience
- re: A paralyzing experience
- BIS monitoring
- Question: Would you want to spend more than 15 years in that state? (n/t)
- Free will
- thanks for all the comments (n/t)
- This was a lose-lose situation with no "right" answer
- Yes
- re: A paralyzing experience