Most people agree that human life is valuable. But what makes it valuable? Philosophers have generally offered three different and incompatible answers: that human life has intrinsic value, that it has instrumental value, or that it has a self-determined value. Each of the viewpoints has its own set of positives and negatives, which you will be asked to consider, but more importantly whichever one you accept or endorse will impact how you think of the goal of medicine, especially at the end of life. This was one of the themes of this week’s assigned content which you will have a chance to reflect upon in this assignment.
Objective
The purpose of this assignment is for you to examine different views on the value of human life, to critically evaluate these views, and to discuss the goal of medicine at the end of life in relation to one of them.
Instructions
Read
The Primary Content for this week’s module.
See especially “Calculating the value of life?” by Richard Huxtable (found on pages 2-3 of the Primary Content).
Reflect
What are the three viewpoints on the value of life discussed by Huxtable?
How would you explain these viewpoints to someone who has not read the assigned content?
Which of these viewpoints do you find most compelling? Why?
What are your reasons for choosing the viewpoint you did? What makes it “better” than the others?
How might adopting this viewpoint influence your perspective on at least one of the issues discussed in the assigned content?
For example, do the goals of medicine at the end of life depend in some way on why we think life is valuable?
Compose
Write a short response of about 500 words (roughly a page, single-spaced) in which you discuss your conclusions and reflections from above and post your work by clicking “reply” below.
Make sure to use specific details from the text in your discussion.
Check Your Work
Ask yourself these questions to determine whether your work is ready to submit:
Have I used specific details from the text to explain:
each of the three viewpoints on the value of human life discussed by Huxtable,
which of the viewpoints you find most compelling and why, and
how adopting this viewpoint affects your perspective on an end-of-life issue from the text?
Have I demonstrated understanding and engagement with the assigned materials in my essay?
Evaluation
Your grade for this assignment will be based on how well your response meets the following criteria.
Clarity
No major issues with grammar, spelling, or punctuation.
Writing is simple and straightforward.
Avoids vague or ambiguous language.
Philosophical and technical terms are defined.
Thoughtfulness
All aspects of the question are addressed adequately.
Philosophical positions/views are explained adequately.
Accuracy
Claims about the ideas covered in the text are consistent with that source.
Concepts are defined accurately and used correctly.
No obvious factual errors.
REFERENCES:
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/262588-bitter-end
https://depts.washington.edu/bhdept/ethics-medicine/bioethics-topics/detail/61
https://depts.washington.edu/bhdept/ethics-medicine/bioethics-topics/detail/81
https://depts.washington.edu/bhdept/ethics-medicine/bioethics-topics/detail/63
