Death's Dominion

作者:Woods, Simon

页数:192

出版时间:2007-1

价格:$ 75.71

isbn号码:9780335211609

具体描述

"I enjoyed reading this book very much. It is very readable and well argued using real life cases and thought experiments as well ...The book provides the reader with a short history of and an overview of the most important issues in modern palliative care. Various theoretical discussions are clearly set out, such as: the relationship between the hospice movement and modern palliative care, between palliative care and health care in general, between palliative sedation and euthanasia, and the question whether euthanasia can be part of palliative care. The author starts with exploring the existing debates and then develops his own arguments in a balanced and well-structured way." Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy "The text of this book is accessible, the philosophical and ethical arguments are clearly articulated, and relevant ethical principles are integrated into the critique of the issues, making this a very useful book for nurses working in palliative as well as in general care." Nursing Ethics "It is crucially important for any student or researcher who is seriously consideringethical and policy matters at the end of life to embrace and tackle intellectually the issues that Woods raises in this book. I would happily recommend it." Journal of Medical Ethics What constitutes a good death? Is it possible to arrange a good death? Is killing compatible with caring?This book looks at death and the issues and ethical dilemmas faced at the end of life. It addresses the central issues in the field such as: Withholding and withdrawing treatment Euthanasia and assisted suicide Terminal sedation The role of autonomy Palliative careDrawing on a philosophical framework, the author explores end-of-life issues in order to reflect on the nature of the good death and how this may be achieved. The book considers whether it is permissible or desirable to influence the quality of dying: offering palliative sedation as a possible alternative to terminal sedation, the argument is extended to examine why some forms of assisted dying can be shown to be compatible with the ideas of palliative care. Consideration is also given to future developments such as life extension techniques and the ethical questions that that these techniques might raise. As such, the book follows in the ongoing philosophical tradition to critique and analyse current thought on the topic of death, encouraging self-reflection in the reader and offering suggestions for practice in end-of-life care. Death's Dominion is key reading for students and professionals involved in care of the dying, as well as those with an interest in the philosophical issues surrounding end-of-life care.

用户评价

从结构上看，这部作品的复杂性令人赞叹。它并非采用线性叙事，而是巧妙地在不同时间线和多个视角的叙述者之间进行切换，像是在编织一张巨大而精密的网。一开始，这种跳跃感确实让人有些迷失方向，我不得不时不时地翻回前几章来梳理人物关系和时间脉络。然而，当那些看似不相干的线索开始汇聚，当隐藏的联系逐渐浮现时，那种“原来如此”的惊喜感，比任何直接揭示的真相都来得更加强烈和令人满足。作者在构建这个世界观时，展现了惊人的耐心和掌控力，每一个细节，无论多么微小，似乎都服务于最终的宏大蓝图。这种对结构美的追求，体现了作者非凡的野心。它要求读者付出专注，但回报是巨大的——一个逻辑严密、层次丰富的完整宇宙，让你在合上书页后依然久久不愿离开。

读完此书后，我有一种强烈的冲动，想要立刻去查阅作者的背景资料，探究他创作这部作品时的心境。它的整体基调是如此的悲观和沉郁，似乎洋溢着对时代、对命运的深刻的无可奈何。那种挥之不去的宿命感，贯穿始终，仿佛无论主角如何努力，都无法逃脱某种既定的结局。然而，正是在这种绝望的底色上，作者又巧妙地穿插了极少数、极其微弱的光亮——可能是某次短暂的友谊，某次出乎意料的善意，或者仅仅是对真理一丝不灭的追求。这些微弱的光芒，非但没有冲淡整体的黑暗，反而因为对比而显得愈发珍贵和凄美。整本书读下来，心情是沉重的，但内心深处却涌动着一种被深刻触动后的平静。它不是一本读完就能忘记的书，它会像一个深刻的梦境一样，在你的潜意识中停留很久，时不时地提醒你，生活（或者说存在）的复杂和不易。

这本书最让我感到震撼的，是它对于“牺牲”主题的探讨。它没有将牺牲描绘成一个高尚的、充满荣耀的词汇，而是将其还原为一个充满血腥、痛苦和无法弥补的损失的现实。书中那些为了达成某种“更高目标”而付出的代价，是如此沉重，以至于读者会强烈地质疑这种目标的合理性。我印象特别深的是关于某个角色的抉择，那不是英雄式的慷慨赴死，而更像是一种被逼到绝境后的无奈妥协，充满了对自我毁灭的恐惧和一丝微弱的希望。这种对人性弱点和灰色道德的刻画，使得故事充满了真实的力量，而非廉价的煽情。它迫使我们面对一个残酷的事实：在某些境地之下，没有完美的解决方案，所有的道路都沾染了污秽。这种对复杂人性的诚实，让这本书拥有了超越娱乐的价值，具有了探讨伦理困境的潜力。

这部小说的开篇就带着一种令人窒息的厚重感，仿佛作者深知人性的幽暗角落，并毫不留情地将其暴露在光天化日之下。故事的叙事节奏把握得极好，初看之下，情节的推进显得缓慢而审慎，但正是这种慢热，为后续的爆发积蓄了惊人的能量。我尤其欣赏作者对于环境细节的描摹，那些冰冷的街道、潮湿的空气，以及光线难以触及的阴影，无不烘托出一种挥之不去的宿命感。主角的内心挣扎被刻画得入木三分，他并非一个传统意义上的英雄，而是一个被卷入巨大漩涡、努力寻找一线生机的普通人。他的每一次选择都充满了道德上的灰色地带，让人在阅读过程中不断地自我拷问：如果是我，会怎么做？这种深度参与感是很多现代惊悚小说所欠缺的。书中对于权力结构的解构也颇为精妙，那些看似坚不可摧的秩序，在真正的黑暗面前显得多么不堪一击，让人不禁对现实世界中的权威产生一丝怀疑。总而言之，这是一部需要静下心来细细品味的佳作，它不仅仅是一个故事，更像是一场对存在本质的深刻反思。

我必须承认，这本书的语言风格对我来说是一次全新的体验。它不像某些畅销书那样追求流畅的、一目了然的表达，反而充满了古典文学的韵味和一种近乎诗意的晦涩。很多句子都需要反复阅读才能领会其中深藏的寓意，但一旦理解，那种豁然开朗的震撼感是无与伦比的。作者似乎对词语的精确性有着近乎偏执的追求，每一个形容词、每一个动词的选择，都像是经过了千锤百炼，恰到好处地支撑起了作品宏大的主题。在人物对话方面，角色们很少直抒胸臆，他们的交流充满了试探、暗示和未尽之言，使得每一次对白都充满了张力。这对于习惯了快速阅读的读者来说，或许是个挑战，但对于我这种追求文学深度的读者而言，这简直是饕餮盛宴。它迫使我放慢速度，去感受文字背后的重量和历史的尘埃。这种写作手法，无疑将这部作品提升到了一个更高的文学层次，使其超越了简单的类型文学范畴。