Definition of the problem: The question whether a prohibition of physician-assisted suicide is justifiable plays a prominent role in recent debate about this practice. Many authors argue that assisted suicide is an issue of individual choice, that a prohibition would base on particular conceptions of the good and that such a justification is not acceptable in a liberal society. Arguments: Within the frame of a communitarian approach the article demonstrates that the handling of dying and what physicians are allowed to (...) do is central for society and the professional identity of physicians and that every ethical position within this debate unavoidably rests upon certain conceptions of the good. Conclusion: Therefore it is necessary to deal with these conceptions in a transparent way and it is justifiable to impose a prohibition of physician-assisted suicide based on a conception of the common good that does not consult supposed social consequences. (shrink)

Welche alltäglichen Probleme regen zu vertieftem Nachdenken an? Was bietet uns die Philosophie an möglichen Antworten an? Können wir von den Philosophinnen und Philosophen tatsächlich etwas lernen? Und: Ist der Begriff „Alltag“ gar selbst ein Untersuchungsgegenstand der Philosophie?

In recent years, neuroscience has been a particularly prolific discipline stimulating many innovative treatment approaches in medicine. However, when it comes to the brain, new techniques of intervention do not always meet with a positive public response, in spite of promising therapeutic benefits. The reason for this caution clearly is the brain’s special importance as “organ of the mind”. As such it is widely held to be the origin of mankind’s unique position among living beings. Likewise, on the level of (...) the individual human being, the brain is considered the material substrate of those traits that in combination render each person unique. In view of this preeminent significance of the brain, it is understandable that, in general, interventions into the brain are considered a delicate issue and that new techniques of intervention are scrutinised with particular care. However, in doing so it is important not to go to the opposite extreme and shy away from promising new therapeutic approaches for debilitating disorders of the brain. With respect to the new techniques of brain intervention a broad interdisciplinary perspective is required to discern irrational fear from justified concern. Hence, the Europäische Akademie established a project group consisting, on the one hand, of experts from different fields of medicine who have got first-hand experience of applying the techniques at issue and, on the other hand, of philosophers and a legal expert. The task of this team was to review the state of the art with respect to each single technique of intervening in the brain, to indicate future developments, and to address the ethical and legal issues common to all of them. The project’s outcome is the book at hand. (shrink)

“Ezekiel is the Old Testament prophet who proclaims more radically than any other that no righteousness of the people called by God can stand up before God.”.

In their juridical doctrines, the members of the Evrazijstvo movement advocated the idea of a Russian special path criticizing at the same time the formalism and coldness of the western conception of law, based principally on Roman law. Their views are characterized by an evident priority accorded to justice over law, to the order of values over legal order.