A ética da terminação da vida e o valor da vida

Abstract

This dissertation examines some points made by philosophers such as Peter Singer and Jeff McMahan about the morality of killing. Respectively, in the books Practical Ethics (2006) and Ethics in killing (2011), the authors delimit and justify the ethical to respect and / or the right to life, both of people as of non-human animals. According to Singer (2006), the only beings with selfawareness, self-control, sense of past and future, must have the right to life, thus including some non-human animals in the moral sphere. McMahan (2011) endorse the criticism of Singer about the notion of sanctity of life, but he does not include the moral sphere as does Singer. Peter Singer and McMahan elect respectively the principles of equal consideration of interests and approach of time-relative interest as guides for action to regulate morality in killing act. Notably the ethical approach of Singer enables us to reach the best consequences in a more clear and objective. McMahan, on the other hand, offer us an alternative relevant to judging not paradigmatic cases of killing. Finally, the authors' search is for arguments and principles that can answer the most pressing issues related to life, although we can identify theoretical differences between the three authors, in fact all are aimed at satisfying the interests of individuals and the search for the best consequences on issues related to abortion and euthanasia. It is the case to understand the relevance of the assumption of the sanctity of life to regulate ethical principles that can regulate actions related to such issues.