SaschaSettegast

Thank you; I'll take a look at that tomorrow.

Hi there, I am an 19 year old German who has been pretty busy learning about Objectivism since about one or two years. I think this forum might be very helpful concerning this purpose. I am basically interested in philosophy, psychology, economics, history and literature. Please ask, if you have any questions. ^^ Well then, let's get it started.

Thanks to this discussion I now understand the concept of rights much better, I think. I am grateful for that, but I still have some questions concerning people who do not posess a normal rational faculty, i.e. especially persons who are mentally disabled in a heavy manner or persons who have Alzheimer's disease. What about them? Their rational faculty is heavily impaired, so that they cannot decide for themselves. And another quite critical question in connection with that: Assume there is a mentally disabled person, who still posesses consciousness and rationality in a very basic manner (i.e. who is not a vegetable like Terry Schiavo was), and who nonetheless cannot care for himself but depends on special medical machines, which are only available in an expensive hospital, in order to sustain his life. Assume now, that all his property was already exceeded in order to pay for his treatment and that absolutely no-one is willing to continue paying for the machines necessary to sustain his life. Would it be morally justifiable to turn off the machines and let him die because he can no-longer afford to pay for them? Personally, I am not quite sure about it, but following the basic principle that no-one must live parasitically at the expense of others, this would be the conclusion to be drawn, I think. Or am I wrong here?