Mostly Dead vs Completely Dead

From our friends at the GeriPal blog:

Mostly Dead vs Completely Dead: A Distinction Best Left to Hollywood

May 14, 2012

On the one hand, we must strive to understand the logical, rational, ethical reasons for our actions and strive to use normative reasoning to guide our actions.  On the other hand, we must acknowledge that these irrational reasons carry some weight, like not wanting to cut into a person who might be slightly alive, even though such distinctions may be meaningless.

Link: Resuscitating the Dead Donor Rule, David Magnus, The Bioethics Channel, August 28, 2011