Matters of Life and Death: Moral Responsibility, Care, and Dignity in Dying (Haus Curiosities)

For most of human history, death was shaped by circumstance, custom, and human presence.Today, it is increasingly mediated by medicine, law, and the language of choice.Our expanding capacity to prolong life and manage dying has outstripped the moral habits that once helped us make sense of such moments.What confronts us now is not only the question of what may be done, or what is permitted, but also how moral responsibility is borne when knowledge is partial and responsibility is dispersed. Resisting moral certainty and procedural comfort, Stephanie O’Connor considers what is revealed and obscured when complex situations are reduced to questions of choice or rights alone.Considering dignity as a guiding moral concern at the limits of life, and drawing on healthcare ethics, case law, and contemporary debates - including those surrounding assisted dying and artificial intelligence - this book examines how decisions made under conditions of vulnerability are shaped not only by autonomy an