From: R.Russell-AT-gcal.ac.uk (Rachel Russell)
Subject: Re: Warhol/sci-fi/turnips/death
Date: Wed, 18 Dec 1996 10:32:35 +0000


In reply to Mark & Omar,
Mark wrote,
>What kinds of changes has the "expert" definition of death undergone?
>
>I don't think the "nature of knowledge" is going to have much effect on the
>fact that you die. It may be thought of in different ways, or referred to
>with different terms, but so what? It won't be Baudrillard who decides he's
>dead because he'll be dead! No one will have to 'decide' he's dead, he'll
>simply BE DEAD.
>
>How is death not absolute? (for the dead anyway)

Omar wrote

>3) It makes no sense when you argue that, science and medicine change,
therefore its object of study, (i.e. Death) also changes, thus
relativism. This argument totally begs the question.  Death is *NOT*
contingent nor dependent upon science and medicine, if anything, medicine
is telogically dependent upon death.  In other words, death is the reason
for medicines existence, and not the other way around, as you have
protrayed it.


The nature of knowledge has a great effect on whether you die or not and
whether you are pronounced dead. You are not dead until somebody usually an
'authority' says you are. If you want to be 'empirical' about it, expert
definitions of death have changed enormously, if people did not breath then
they were dead. Now machines breath for them until an expert decides if the
brain is dead or not. On what do they base this decision-knowledge, did
they do this in the 19th century, I think not. This is what I meant by the
medicalisation of death, it is controlled and constructed by medical
experts, as Axel points out from the outside, and the outside is constantly
changing.
Rachel

***************************************************************************
Rachel Russell                          Tel: +44 141-331-3197
Research Student                        Fax: +44 141-331+3439
Dept of Social Sciences
Glasgow CALEDONIAN University           Email: R.Russell-AT-gcal.ac.uk
Glasgow
***************************************************************************