Dan W. Brock

Life and Death: Truth or consequences: The role of philosophers in policy-making

n Reflecting on his experiences as a staff philosopher on the Presidents Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research and with other advisory bodies, Brock contends that there is a deep conflict between the goals and constraints of the public policy process and those of scholarly activity in general and philosophical activity in particular. Whereas unconstrained search for the truth is the central virtue of scholarly work, the first concern of policy makers is the impact of their actions on policies and people. The need to persuade policy makers and to maintain their own credibility leads philosophers to cut and trim their views. While the philosophers should be open to radical change if persuasive argument supports it, policy makers deal in incremental change. Philosophers can help widen the policy agenda, but their contribution should be limited and temporary and their primary base should remain an academic one.n

Life and Death: Frontmatter

Part I. Physicians and Patients Making Treatment Decisions: 1. Informed consent 2. The ideal of shared decision making between physicians and patients 3. When competent patients make irrational choices (co-authored by Steven A. Wartman) Part II. Life-and-Death Decisions in the Clinic: 4. Moral rights and permissible killing 5. Taking human life 6. Death and dying 7. Forgoing life-sustaining food and water: Is it killing? 8. Voluntary active euthanasia Part III. Life-and-Death Decisions in Health Policy: 9. The value of prolonging human life 10. Quality of life measures in health care and medical ethics 11. The problem of low benefit/high cost health care 12. Justice and the severely demented elderly 13. Justice, health care, and the elderly 14. Truth or consequences: the role of philosophers in policy-making Index.

Life and Death: LIFE-AND-DEATH DECISIONS IN THE CLINIC

Part I. Physicians and Patients Making Treatment Decisions: 1. Informed consent 2. The ideal of shared decision making between physicians and patients 3. When competent patients make irrational choices (co-authored by Steven A. Wartman) Part II. Life-and-Death Decisions in the Clinic: 4. Moral rights and permissible killing 5. Taking human life 6. Death and dying 7. Forgoing life-sustaining food and water: Is it killing? 8. Voluntary active euthanasia Part III. Life-and-Death Decisions in Health Policy: 9. The value of prolonging human life 10. Quality of life measures in health care and medical ethics 11. The problem of low benefit/high cost health care 12. Justice and the severely demented elderly 13. Justice, health care, and the elderly 14. Truth or consequences: the role of philosophers in policy-making Index.

Life and Death: LIFE-AND-DEATH DECISIONS IN HEALTH POLICY

Part I. Physicians and Patients Making Treatment Decisions: 1. Informed consent 2. The ideal of shared decision making between physicians and patients 3. When competent patients make irrational choices (co-authored by Steven A. Wartman) Part II. Life-and-Death Decisions in the Clinic: 4. Moral rights and permissible killing 5. Taking human life 6. Death and dying 7. Forgoing life-sustaining food and water: Is it killing? 8. Voluntary active euthanasia Part III. Life-and-Death Decisions in Health Policy: 9. The value of prolonging human life 10. Quality of life measures in health care and medical ethics 11. The problem of low benefit/high cost health care 12. Justice and the severely demented elderly 13. Justice, health care, and the elderly 14. Truth or consequences: the role of philosophers in policy-making Index.

Life and Death: Index

Part I. Physicians and Patients Making Treatment Decisions: 1. Informed consent 2. The ideal of shared decision making between physicians and patients 3. When competent patients make irrational choices (co-authored by Steven A. Wartman) Part II. Life-and-Death Decisions in the Clinic: 4. Moral rights and permissible killing 5. Taking human life 6. Death and dying 7. Forgoing life-sustaining food and water: Is it killing? 8. Voluntary active euthanasia Part III. Life-and-Death Decisions in Health Policy: 9. The value of prolonging human life 10. Quality of life measures in health care and medical ethics 11. The problem of low benefit/high cost health care 12. Justice and the severely demented elderly 13. Justice, health care, and the elderly 14. Truth or consequences: the role of philosophers in policy-making Index.

Life and Death: Sources and acknowledgments

Part I. Physicians and Patients Making Treatment Decisions: 1. Informed consent 2. The ideal of shared decision making between physicians and patients 3. When competent patients make irrational choices (co-authored by Steven A. Wartman) Part II. Life-and-Death Decisions in the Clinic: 4. Moral rights and permissible killing 5. Taking human life 6. Death and dying 7. Forgoing life-sustaining food and water: Is it killing? 8. Voluntary active euthanasia Part III. Life-and-Death Decisions in Health Policy: 9. The value of prolonging human life 10. Quality of life measures in health care and medical ethics 11. The problem of low benefit/high cost health care 12. Justice and the severely demented elderly 13. Justice, health care, and the elderly 14. Truth or consequences: the role of philosophers in policy-making Index.