老年人尊嚴死的儒家敘事與反思

Narrative and Reflection from a Confucian Perspective on Elderlies’ Death with Dignity

Abstract

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.

人口老齡化、高齡化的加速發展日益凸顯了尊嚴死話題的重大意義。本文從儒家孝道生命觀切入，立足時間、空間與價值三個維度系統闡釋儒家孝道生命觀的基本内涵，探討其與尊嚴死理念在自然性、自主性、尊嚴性等方面的内在契合。聚焦於儒家經典中的“孝道”“善終”“仁愛”等理念，揭示現代醫療情境中家庭決策與個人自主兩難、技術理性與人文關懷失衡、文化污名與社會轉型遲滯等一系列的倫理困境。通過對儒家孝道的重新詮釋與批判繼承，回應當代生命倫理學面臨的複雜挑戰。

The accelerating trends of population ageing and advanced ageing highlight ethical issues relating to death and dying with dignity. This paper explores the Confucian view of filiality from the dimensions of time, space, and value. It examines the internal resonance between Confucian life ethics and the concept of death with dignity, particularly in terms of naturalness, autonomy, and dignity. Focusing on classical Confucian concepts such as filial piety, a good end, and benevolence, the author explores ethical dilemmas in contemporary medical settings, including tensions between family decision-making and individual autonomy, technological rationality and humanistic care, and cultural stigma and social transformation. The aim of this paper is to respond to the complex challenges faced by contemporary bioethics through a critical reinterpretation of Confucian filial piety.