Homework on Hardwig, Is there a duty to die?


All answers must be in your own words.

1. Hardwig discusses who has a duty to die and how strong it is. He gives some conditions that make the duty to die stronger for some than it is for others. Some of these have to do with how overall bad it would be if one continued to live rather than die. But others - specifically 3, 4, 5, and 9 - do not. Explain as best you can what moral ideas 3, 4, 5, and 9 have in common. (2pts)

2. According to Hardwig, if it were true that incompetent people do not have a duty to die, this fact would have a surprising implication. What is that implication, and why would it follow from the fact that the incompetent did not have a duty to die? (2pts)

3. How, according to Hardwig, does recognizing the duty to die allow us to "conquer death?" (2pts)

4. Hardwig says that recognizing the duty to die allows us to see the sick, the extremely old, or the dying as moral agents rather than "mere moral patients." What does he mean by this? Why does he think it is true? (2pts)

5. To what extent do you agree with Hardwig? Why (if you fully agree, don't just reiterate Hardwig's ideas; try to give additional support for them)? (2pts)