Rozmanitosť života, a najmä jeho konečnosti, na príklade vybraných diel
The diversity of life, and of its finitude in particular, on the example of selected works

Summary/Abstract: In all cultures “systems of death” have been established, but one issue that is debated in their contemporary framework is the law of “death on demand”. This article focuses on two aspects: “the denial of death” in the systems of death, using the example of Edson Oda’s film Nine Days (2020), and the resolution of “unbearable pain” through euthanasia or appropriate palliative care, as shown in Mateusz Pakuła's work Jak nie zabiłem swojego ojca i jak bardzo tego żałuję (How I didn't kill my father and how much I regret it, 2022). On the one hand, the analysis draws on the material of cultural texts to consider one of the many topics of bioethics: how can we help people die? On the other hand, it discusses how the reflection of views from the field of bioethical discourse can influence the interpretation of a film or a literary work. The use of the bioethical context makes it possible, among other things, to indicate that Pakuła's text can be understood not only as a “protest song” for the legalization of euthanasia, which has been the focus of previous interpretations, but also as an important voice of criticism of the current approach to palliative care.

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