Return to search

Is someone in coma Dasein?

An ontological investigation into the way of Being for someone in irreversible coma through Martin Heidegger's Dasein-analysis. Ambiguity in the designation 'human being' leads to the conceptual confusion one experiences when encountering someone in irreversible coma, because the designation of 'human being' indicates both 'Homo Sapien' and 'Homo Sapien plus Dasein'. However, considering what he requires for Dasein, Heidegger's Dasein-analysis supports a higher brain function definition of death. Thus on an Heideggerian interpretation, someone in irreversible coma has died as Dasein, remaining in the world as a 'living corpse'.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:RICE/oai:scholarship.rice.edu:1911/13770
Date January 1993
CreatorsPhillips, Joan Raines
ContributorsEnglehardt, H. Tristram
Source SetsRice University
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis, Text
Format64 p., application/pdf

Page generated in 0.0122 seconds