Why Is Good Death Important? The Possibility of Dialogue between Western Bioethics and Confucian Ethics

Abstract

The concept of a good death is an important issue that ethics should focus on. With the rise of individualism, medical practices have undergone subtle changes, and Western bioethics has begun to consider, from a subjective perspective, which normative conditions constitute a good death. In contrast, the traditional Confucian view of shanzhong 善终 (good ending) emphasizes the unity of life and death and the transcendence of death from an objective perspective, regarding the moral value of living a good life as the moral requirement for judging a good death. By fully acknowledging the historical changes in the concept of death, we can facilitate a dialogue between these two perspectives, enriching each other and helping modern individuals attain a more comprehensive and morally desirable understanding of death.

Keywords

good death / dignified death / shanzhong

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2024 Higher Education Press