Theories of the Self and Autonomy in Medical Ethics

This book engages in a critical discussion on how to respect and promote patients’ autonomy in difficult cases such as palliative care and end-of-life decisions. These cases pose specific epistemic, normative, and practical problems, and the book elucidates the connection between the practical implications of the theoretical debate on respecting autonomy, on the one hand, and specific questions and challenges that arise in medical practice, on the other hand. Given that the idea of personal autonomy includes the notion of authenticity as one of its core components, the book explicitly includes discussions on underlying theories of the self. In doing so, it brings together original contributions and novel insights for “applied” scenarios based on interdisciplinary collaboration between German and Serbian scholars from philosophy, sociology, and law. It is of benefit to anyone cherishing autonomy in medical ethics and medical practice. Front Matter ....Pages i-x Introduction (Michael Kühler, Veselin Mitrović)....Pages 1-13 Front Matter ....Pages 15-15 What is Autonomy Anyway? (Milijana Đerić)....Pages 17-30 Personal Identity and Self-Regarding Choice in Medical Ethics (Lucie White)....Pages 31-47 Personal Identity and the Moral Authority of Advance Directives (Karsten Witt)....Pages 49-67 Narratives in Flux. Why Patients’ Life Stories Do Not Provide Decisive Instructions in Cases of Surrogate Decision-Making (Michael Kühler)....Pages 69-84 The ART of Authenticity (Birgit Beck)....Pages 85-98 Remainders of the Self: Consciousness as a Problem for Neuroethics (Marco Stier)....Pages 99-120 Front Matter ....Pages 121-121 Ethical Issues Concerning Patient Autonomy in Clinical Practice (Alfred Simon)....Pages 123-135 A Patient’s Right to Refuse Medical Treatment Through the Implementation of Advance Directives (Hajrija Mujović)....Pages 137-145 Prolonged Autonomy? The Principle of Precedent Autonomy and the Binding Force of Advance Directives in Dementia (Oliver Hallich)....Pages 147-171 Individual and Collective Decision-Making in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (Zoran Todorović, Dragana Protić)....Pages 173-183 Who Should Take Care of Offenders with Dementia? (Annette Dufner)....Pages 185-198 Understanding ‘Euthanasia’ Across Various Medical Practices (Veselin Mitrović)....Pages 199-214 Back Matter ....Pages 215-217