Abstract
What would make it the right time for you to die, or the wrong one? In particular, could it be the right time for you to die even if your loved ones want to make the sacrifices needed to prolong your life, because that would cost them too dearly? The worry is that it would be selfish to permit these sacrifies, and wrong for that reason. I think it matters that the sacrifies would occur within a relationship of mutual devotion, and I try to say how it matters. In particular, I argue against some fairly simple views of what constitutes impermissible selfishness in this context, and in favor of approaching such decisions in a different way.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Richards, N. Choosing when to Die. J Ethics 9, 517–531 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10892-005-3522-0
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10892-005-3522-0