Spriggs M
Centre for Human bioethics, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
J Med Ethics. 1998 Apr;24(2):123-6. doi: 10.1136/jme.24.2.123.
Literary accounts of traumatic events can be more informative and insightful than personal testimonials. In particular, reference to works of literature can give us a more vivid sense of what it is like to receive a devastating diagnosis. In turn this can lead us to question some common assumptions about the nature of autonomy, particularly for patients in these circumstances. The literature of concentration camp and labour camp experiences can help us understand what it is like to have one's life-plans altered utterly and unexpectedly. Contrary to common views of autonomy which have difficulty in characterising autonomous action when long-standing assumptions are suddenly lost, these examples show that autonomy is possible in these circumstances. We need a theory of autonomy which can deal with traumatic events and is useful in the clinical context.
关于创伤性事件的文学描述可能比个人证词更具信息性和洞察力。特别是，提及文学作品能让我们更生动地感受到收到毁灭性诊断结果时的情形。这反过来会促使我们质疑一些关于自主性本质的常见假设，尤其是针对处于这些情况下的患者。集中营和劳改营经历的文学作品能帮助我们理解当一个人的人生计划被彻底且意外地改变时是什么样的。与那些在长期假设突然丧失时难以描述自主行为的自主性常见观点相反，这些例子表明在这些情况下自主性是可能的。我们需要一种能够应对创伤性事件且在临床背景中有用的自主性理论。
