| This paper studies the euthanasia problem in the condition of modern technology in the view of death philosophy and technological philosophy. As a death state, people didn't pay much attention to euthanasia in the traditional death idea. But in the technological times, euthanasia led to great disputation. This paper analyzes this question from the perspective of technological domination of death.Euthanasia is the act or practice of ending a person's life in order to release the person from an incurable disease, intolerable suffering, or undignified death. There are many aspects of disputation about euthanasia, including if people have the rights of death, which is more important of life quality and life length, and if euthanasia could lead to the moral corruption. The history of euthanasia has showed that there wasn't disputation in ancient times, in fact the phenomenon of euthanasia is a modern problem. People often believe that modern science and technology are the background of euthanasia, but it is just the control and domination of technology that lead to the appearance of euthanasia problem. If taking modern technology as the background of euthanasia, we could neglect the fundamental influence.The control of modern technology mainly represent on death and euthanasia. For the former aspect, the technological reason gradually dominates people's life and the process death. Modern technology dissimilates people to dividable machine. The more advanced the medical technology is, the greater the people's dissimilation is. Dissevering organic body brings about new patients and new problems, and will impact the notion of man and death. At the same time, the awe of death was replaced by the control of death, and the meaning of death was deprived gradually. Consequently, men took death as the conquered affair but not the possibility of experiencing life. Death no longer represents people's freedom.For the later aspect, euthanasia in technological times no longer based on naturally death state but became a means that ended life ahead of time and a death means that was different from suicide and murder. The expectation of euthanasia was not people's independent choice but the result of technological domination. Technology presented people confidence through its powerful strength, so people delivered themselves to technology and wished that technology could eliminate death. Technology intervened and controlled death completely. When technology could not avoid death and even could not dispel bitterness, men hope that euthanasia could end life. Modern euthanasia implied accelerating death but didn't men that recovered the meaning of death and the result of reflecting death, but the despair of technology.Disputation of euthanasia rooted in the intervening and control of modern technology. Euthanasia became a way of death. People held up of opposed it through traditional idea of death. The elimination of disputation about euthanasia not only needs set up the widespread idea of life and death, but also needs understand the essence of modern technology. Then we will eliminate the domination of technology. Then men could gain freedom in death and regress real death. |
