Réflexions sur la fin de vie

The following reflections have to do with the "end of life" and are presented here as a lecture addressed to high school and preparatory school student attending a Parisian institute. They were developed with the aim of finding where a current citizens' debate called for by the executive branch and timeless, age-old questions might overlap. When we begin to ponder ultimates such as birth or death, we owe it to ourselves to take into consideration all the nuances involved; this is the only way to process the complexity of these topics. The goals of this course are, first of all, to situate the current debate within the ethical and juridical history of France, and then proceed towards making necessary conceptual distinctions. Finally, we will consider, as much as possible, what is at stake with the options at hand.