Right to die

Ragna · Post by **Ragna** » Sun Apr 10, 2011 10:06 am

I don't know if this topic is much debated but I found an interesting video of something I had never seen before.

I personally think suicide, under its extreme circumstances, is not reprehensible, because the right to live entails the right to die. Euthanasia is illegal in many places and I always thought about it as something private and hidden, but I've recently discovered that in Switzerland there's a legal organization called Dignitas (dignity) who practices assisted suicide on patients who request it. Here's the last part of a 5-part documentary (for those interested it begins here):

[youtube][/youtube]

Question for debate:

1. Do you find what Dignitas does right or wrong? Why (not)?

2. Is what the patient, Craig Ewert, did reprehensible from your point of view? Why (not)?

Goat · Post by **Goat** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:08 pm

AquinasD wrote:
jamesmorlock wrote:Life can only be temporary, since most things - as per thermodynamics - tend towards disorganization unless it's energy is increased or is being perpetuated by something.
And this at most shows that life is not entropic. It works against entropy.

Please prove this statement. Show that life violates entropy.

AquinasD · Post by **AquinasD** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:27 pm

Goat wrote:Please prove this statement. Show that life violates entropy.

I didn't say it violates entropy, only that it works against it; it maintains order where otherwise the order would fall into disorder.

Goat · Post by **Goat** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:09 pm

AquinasD wrote:
Goat wrote:Please prove this statement. Show that life violates entropy.
I didn't say it violates entropy, only that it works against it; it maintains order where otherwise the order would fall into disorder.

I think you are not using entropy in the same manner that scientists would use it. Entropy has nothing to do with order/disorder.. it has to do with the amount of usable energy.

Which is more ordered? Steam or ice? Which has more energy?? Steam or ice?

AquinasD · Post by **AquinasD** » Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:34 pm

Goat wrote:I think you are not using entropy in the same manner that scientists would use it. Entropy has nothing to do with order/disorder.. it has to do with the amount of usable energy.

Which is more ordered? Steam or ice? Which has more energy?? Steam or ice?

I'm not the one who used entropy as meaning "systems tend towards disorder." That was James. I only responded in kind.