Farisco Michele, Evers Kathinka
Centre for Research Ethics and Bioethics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Brain Project Sub-Project 12, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
Philos Ethics Humanit Med. 2017 Dec 29;12(1):11. doi: 10.1186/s13010-017-0053-9.
Ethical analyses of disorders of consciousness traditionally focus on residual awareness. Going one step further, this paper explores the potential ethical relevance of the unawareness retained by patients with disorders of consciousness, focusing specifically on the ethical implications of the description of the unconscious provided by recent scientific research.
A conceptual methodology is used, based on the review and analysis of relevant scientific literature on the unconscious and the logical argumentation in favour of the ethical conclusions.
Two conditions (experiential wellbeing and having interests) that are generally considered critical components in the ethical discussion of patients with disorders of consciousness might arguably be both conscious and unconscious.
The unconscious, as well as consciousness, should be taken into account in the ethical discussions of patients with disorders of consciousness.
传统上，对意识障碍的伦理分析聚焦于残余意识。更进一步，本文探讨意识障碍患者所保留的无意识状态潜在的伦理相关性，特别关注近期科学研究对无意识状态描述所产生的伦理影响。
采用一种概念性方法，基于对有关无意识的相关科学文献的回顾与分析以及支持伦理结论的逻辑论证。
在意识障碍患者伦理讨论中通常被视为关键要素的两个条件（体验幸福感和拥有利益），可能有意识和无意识两种情况。
在对意识障碍患者的伦理讨论中，应将无意识以及意识都考虑在内。
