Euthanasia und assisted suicide are controversial themes that have been and will continue to be discussed at length. The recent debate concerning assisted suicide and living wills as well as the new laws now being discussed in the German Parliament confirm this fact. The topics range from breaking off treatment of the terminally ill to palliative care to active suicidal assistance.In this volume Udo Benzenhöfer touches on the most important thoughts surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide from antiquity to the present - from Plato to modern theses, from philosophical, medical, legal and theological vantage points. He takes the position that a detailed look at the existing views can be fruitful for the ongoing debate.

Prof. Dr. Dr. Udo Benzenhöfer ist Direktor des Senckenbergischen Instituts für Geschichte und Ethik der Medizin der Universität Frankfurt am Main.