Human Life

A glance at the table of contents reveals that the material presented in this volume is divided into eight sections. Section I seeks to provide some background on the value of human life as seen in the light of religion and temporary experience. Sections II and III are devoted to the beginning of the life cycle, Section II addressing population problems and Section III eugenic problems. Sections IV and V are devoted to the middle of the life span, Section IV considering legitimate expectancies for human life, and Section V considering selected cases in which normal life expectancies are severely limited - the physically handicapped, the psychologically disabled, and the economically disadvantaged. Sections VI and VII turn to the end of the life cycle, Section VI being devoted to the (mostly artificial) prolongation of life, and Section VII to the taking of life - by the medical profession (euthanasia), by the state (capital punishment), and by the individual (suicide). Finally, Section VIII pushes beyond the life span as experienced in this world and inquires about man's expectations of immortality - as seen in humanistic, Oriental religious, and Judeo-Christian perspective.