El objetivo de este artículo es explorar y ofrecer diferentes hipótesis que puedan dar cuenta de una adecuada comprensión del deber de morir y su relación con la biopolítica desde dos enfoques olvidados. En primer lugar, se analizará la muerte desde una perspectiva biopolítica para comprender el papel crucial que tiene para el biopoder. En segundo lugar, la atención se centra en la implicación doble que tiene la muerte para el biopoder, ya que podría ser bien un desafío para él (...) o la sublimación final de su control. De igual forma, la siguiente sección aborda las relaciones entre muerte y neoliberalismo desde una perspectiva biopolítica, explorando la posibilidad de entender el deber de morir como una resistencia a los mandatos económicos o, por el contrario, como el cumplimiento de los intereses neoliberales. Finalmente, como continuación de las relaciones entre el deber de morir y el neoliberalismo, el artículo analiza una doble visión similar a la primera desde una perspectiva psicopolítica. (shrink)

This paper provides a defence of a lifetime limit on how much a person can receive in the form of gifts and inheritances, that is, a person's accessions. I argue that any accessions above that limit should be taxed at a rate of 100%. The analysis shows how this proposal can bring into equilibrium the core values and other goals at stake in the design of taxation on inheritances and gifts. To counter the low level of support for inheritance taxation (...) in general, the analysis must include a proposal concerning what will be done with the tax revenues. I propose turning the accession tax revenues into an unconditional citizen's stake that is granted to young adults. Such an institutional design would create additional value by reducing unfair inequalities between age groups. (shrink)

Background Concepts of health have been widely discussed in the philosophy and ethics of medicine. Parallel to these theoretical debates, numerous empirical research projects have focused on subjective concepts of health and shown their significance for individuals and society at various levels. Only a few studies have so far investigated the concepts of health of non-professionals and professionals involved in long-term home care and discussed these empirical perspectives regarding moral responsibilities. Objectives To identify the subjective concepts of the health of (...) non-professionals (care recipients, informal caregivers) and professionals (registered nurses) involved in long-term home care and to discuss them against the background of existing normative guidelines addressing non-professionals and professionals’ responsibilities and rights concerning health. Research design A qualitative design was chosen to explore subjective concepts of health. Data were collected by semi-structured interviews; content analysis was applied according to Mayring. Participants and research context Twenty-eight interviews were conducted with non-professionals and professionals in long-term home care arrangements in Northern Germany. Ethical considerations Ethics approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Board at the University Medicine Greifswald (BB123/16). Findings Non-professionals and professionals consider health as a capability that enables them to participate in social activities and live their own lives according to their preferences. The former regard health particularly as a feeling and an attitude, the latter as the absence of disease with a focus on mental and emotional well-being. Both groups highlight the unsurpassable value of health and the personal responsibility for it. Discussion Normative guidelines applicable to practice in long-term home care discuss responsibilities and rights unevenly and raise several problems regarding non-professionals and professionals’ subjective concepts of health. Conclusion Individuals’ concepts of health are relevant for the subsequent interpretation of rights and responsibilities and should, thus, be reflected upon to address health-related needs effectively. (shrink)