Do we know what death is? For centuries, death was diagnosed when the heartbeat ceased, but heart machines now mean that a patient can survive even after their heart stops. The focus then shifted to brain-death, yet brain-dead patients’ bodies can continue to function – a brain-dead female can even carry a pregnancy to term. So brain-death is not the death of the human organism. Lukas J. Meier argues that this suggests we should stop thinking of death as biological, and instead see it as psychological: what really matters is not the death of the organism, but the death of the psyche.

Imagine a situation that we all dread: one day you receive a call, informing you that a friend has had a severe car accident. You rush to the hospital. The doctors explain to you that your friend suffered catastrophic head injuries and has just been declared brain dead. As most of his body is still intact, preparations for the explanation of organs are now underway. Your friend had indeed expressed his wish to serve as an organ donor in the event of an early death.