Understanding

Death
Lessons-Death as an Event
Death as a Possibility
 Understanding Death
2 Kinds of Understanding
Human Death
1. Metaphysical
2. Existential
 Death as an Event
Metaphysical- looks at what happens
to a person when he/she dies. The
central question to this kind is- when
can we say that a human person is
dead. It looks as death as an event or
phenomenon and explain how such an
event or phenomenon occurs
 Death as an Event
When can we say that a human
person is dead?
1. cardio-pulmonary approach
2. Whole-brain approach
3. Higher brain approach
 Meaning of Death
Cardio-pulmonary approach- it is the
traditional way of understanding and
explaining human death, also known as the
heart-lung approach. According to which
a human person is considered dead when
the persons heart and lungs, the persons
cardio-pulmonary organs have irreversibly
ceased to function. Death is thereby
defined as the irreversible cessation of the
cardio-pulmonary function
 Meaning of Death
To determine if someone is dead, we
could check, for instance, the persons
pulse or use other devices to check
whether the persons heart and lungs are
still working. The assumption here is that,
once a persons cardio-pulmonary organs
cease to function, the organs of the body,
especially the brain, will naturally cease to
function as well
 Meaning of Death
Whole-brain approach- a person is
dead when his/her entire brain (both
higher and lower brain) has irreversibly
ceased to function. This means that the
person is no longer conscious and can no
longer breath on his/her own. A person
whose entire brain has irreversibly ceased
to function but is still breathing because of
a life support devise is what presently call a
brain-dead patient.
 Meaning of Death
Higher-brain approach- a person is dead
when his/her upper brain has irreversibly
ceased to function, even though his/her brain
lower brain continues to function. This means
that a person is no longer conscious but can still
breath on his/her own. Examples are patients in
the so-called persistent vegetative state and
permanent coma. These patients never
appear to be awake or conscious but can
maintain breathing and heartbeat without
mechanical assistance.
 Death as a Possibility
Existential- looks at the features of
human death that significantly affect
how a person conducts his/her life. The
central question to this kind is- what
are the features of death as a human
possibility. It looks at death as a kind of
human possibility, and then tries to
investigate how this possibility affects
the quality of a persons life
 Death as a Possibility
What are the characteristics of
death as a possibility?
1. Certain
2. Indefinite
3. Ones ownmost
4. Nonrelational
5. Not to be oustripped