Philosophers' Cafe: How Far Should We Go To Save a Life?

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Wednesday, November 22nd, 2017
6:30 PM to 7:30 PM

Come join us at the Philosophers’ Café – a public forum for debate. Each Café is on a different topic, briefly introduced by a knowledgeable presenter and opened to the floor for general discussion. Pose questions, present arguments, hear opposing viewpoints, and join in on the fun as we discuss tricky issues, theories, concepts and more!

For the Nov. 22nd Café, the topic is lifesaving interventions. Valery Spiridonov wants to be the first human to have his head transplanted onto a cadaver body, before his rare degenerative disease kills him. Should we do everything possible to save a human life, or are some lifesaving interventions going too far? How should we balance the value of individual lives, freedom of choice, and fair access when expensive, cutting-edge treatments can’t be available for everyone? When is enough, enough? Laura Shanner, consultant and researcher in health care ethics, will speak to this topic.

Dr. Shanner has served as an expert consultant for several policy development committees for Health Canada. She has taught biomedical ethics at several universities in the United States and Canada (including VIU), and has published many journal articles and book chapters spanning the fields of biomedical ethics, women’s studies, law, comparative theology, and experimental sciences.