The Religious Objections and Military Opposition to Anesthetics, 1846–1848

Swanson, George A.

doi:10.1016/s1522-8649(05)50015-5

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Consider the example of clinical anesthesia. In the story of the human conquest over pain, clinicians had to deal with naysayers who objected to using anesthesia for surgery and childbirth (Farr 1980;Swanson 2005). Some individuals even postulate a spiritual or moral value to suffering, claiming that it ennobles them, opening them to new avenues of beauty and splendor and better permitting them to embrace God (Ellis 2002;Carnevale 2009 eventually be viewed to be as misguided as early objections against the safe relief of pain and suffering by anesthetic drugs?…”

Section: Some Pharmacophilosophical Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Does it Mean to be Human? Life, Death, Personhood and the Transhumanist Movement

Doyle¹

2018

Anticipation Science

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This dissertation addresses various aspects of the question "What does it mean to be human?", approaching the issue from biological, philosophical and ethical perspectives. The discussion focuses primarily on the philosophical and ethical implications of the transhumanist movement, an intellectual community seeking to favorably transform the human organism via the safe deployment of interventions such as genetic engineering and pharmacologic enhancement. Following a review of bioethical principles, the dissertation begins by examining the notion of "personhood" in philosophical, historical and biological contexts. Next, the possibility that developments in neuropharmacology might ultimately lead to an artificial paradise free of the negative aspects of the human condition (but without the often destructive effects of today's mood altering drugs) is considered. A philosophical difficulty related to the existentialist notion of "authenticity" in such a "mood optimized" synthetic existence is identified. © © U Un ni iv ve er rs si it ty y o of f P Pr re et to or ri ia a iv This discussion is followed by a rather technical exposition on the occasional difficulties of establishing when a person is alive or dead, particularly in the setting of "brain death". A number of philosophical flaws with the notion of brain death as it is used currently are presented. The discussion then considers some of the philosophical issues raised by the possibility of human cryonic suspension. A distinction is made between the information preserved in a person's brain and the substrate used to hold that information. Implications for personhood are also discussed, as well as a number of related ethical issues. Finally, objections raised by "bioconservative" critics of transhumanism are critically examined and found to be for the most part unconvincing, frequently relying on emotion and intuition rather than on evidence, logic and reason.

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Section: Some Pharmacophilosophical Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Does it Mean to be Human? Life, Death, Personhood and the Transhumanist Movement

Doyle¹

2018

Anticipation Science

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“…Finally, with regard to the possible sceptism or acceptance by the clergy at this time, Connor is perfectly entitled to query historical work, as I did originally. This makes history fascinating and in fact the topic is still being discussed and ‘resurrected’[1]. However, the significant word that I employed was ‘secret’; whether the suggestion that the clergy may have had ‘secret’ misgivings can ever be ‘destroyed’, as suggested by Connor, when no specific information is available, is unlikely.…”

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confidence: 99%