Bøger af Christian Erk

In this book, Christian Erk examines the ethical (im)permissibility of killing human beings in general and of selected killings in particular, namely suicide, lethal selfdefence, abortion and euthanasia, as well as organ transplantation and assisted suicide. He does so by addressing a range of important ethical questions: What does it mean to act? Of what elements is an action comprised? What is the difference between a good or evil action and a permissible or impermissible action? How can we determine whether an action is good or evil? Is there a moral duty not to kill? Is this duty held by and against all human beings or only persons? What and who is a person? What is human dignity and who has it? What is it that is actually taken when somebody is killed, i.e. what is life? And closely related to that: What and when is death? By integrating the answers to these questions into an argumentative architecture, the book offers a comprehensive exploration of one of the most fundamental questions of mankind: Under which conditions, if any, is killing human beings ethically permissible?

Diese Publikation befasst sich mit einer umstrittenen Handlungsstrategie zum Umgang mit dem chronischen Finanzierungsdefizit unserer Gesundheitswesen: der Rationierung anhand des Kriteriums Selbstverschulden.Wie argumentiert wird, ist die Rationierung nach Selbstverschulden grundsatzlich moralisch zulassig, jedoch nur in einer sehr begrenzten Anzahl von Fallen moglich. Deswegen sollte vom Einsatz dieses Rationierungskriteriums abgesehen werden.

This book has been written to excite its readers about the value and beauty of moral philosophy: ethics. While its primary purpose is to serve as an introduction to the science of moral philosophy, the fundamental aim of the book is to excite readers in a subject that is not an intellectual luxury but an essential ingredient to our lives.

The idea that there is such a thing as a human right to health has become pervasive. It has not only been acknowledged by a variety of international law documents and thus entered the political realm but is also defended in academic circles. Yet, despite its prominence the human right to health remains something of a mystery - especially with respect to its philosophical underpinnings. Addressing this unfortunate and intellectually dangerous insufficiency, this book critically assesses the stipulation that health is a human right which - as international law holds - derives from the inherent dignity of the human person. Scrutinising the concepts underlying this stipulation (health, rights, dignity), it shall conclude that such right cannot be upheld from a philosophical perspective.