When does the life of a human being begin, and when does it end?

Overview

Modern medicine is haunted by the question of when human life starts and when it ends up.We have been bequeathed the model which largely preponderates and which owes much of itsstrength to the Cartesian way of thinking. This model is however rather stiff and does not tallywith exigencies as they have been posed by genetics, embryology and emergency medicine inrecent time. In fact a contemporary of the philosopher mentioned Comenius sketched anothermodel which can be employed in medicine and which treats the human being as an evententrenched amidst society as such. Against the common substantial model of human dignity itis possible to pose a procedural one based on the fact that the human being is embedded ina given society.

Key words:
human dignity - personalism - self - free will - hermeneutics.