脑死亡与自我意识

Brain Death and Self-Consciousness

基于当代心灵哲学及神经科学的最新成就,文章用自我意识的概念来分析、论述脑死亡问题。人是有精神有灵魂的动物,人的所有精神事件都是由大脑中的神经元之间的放电活动来实现的。随着大脑的死亡所带来的神经元永久性损伤,大脑重新实现精神事件和自我意识的可能性完全不存在;随着记忆的消失,主体的自我认同也随之消失。文章不认为关于脑死亡的判断是一个价值判断;脑死亡立法势在必行。

Based on the current achievements in philosophy of mind and neuroscience, the author explores the brain death problem by the conception of self-consciousness. Human beings by nature are animals with a soul and a full function of mentality. All mental events are realized by certain patterns of the neural firings between the neurons in brains. As brain death causes permanent damages to the neurons, it is no longer possible to re-activate the neurons to realize any mental events. Permanent memory loss also means a permanent loss of self-identity of the subject. Current controversy on brain death is caused by the lack of consensus and knowledge. Legislation for brain death is a necessity.