The Value and Disvalue of Consciousness.
Cambridge quarterly of healthcare ethics : CQ : the international journal of healthcare ethics committees October 1, 2016 Walter Glannon 32 citations
Consciousness defines personhood and enables both pleasurable and painful experiences. This essay examines four neurological conditions—intraoperative awareness, prolonged disorders of consciousness, locked-in syndrome, and the effects of narcotics and sedation on terminally ill patients—to explore when consciousness benefits or harms patients. The ethical significance of consciousness depends on the content of one's experience and whether one can report that content to others. Phenomenal consciousness, the subjective feel of awareness, can be harmful when a patient expects unconsciousness or when it allows uncommunicated suffering. Technology enabling reliable communication could benefit neurologically compromised patients. The conditions raise the question of when consciousness is preferable to unconsciousness.