Popova, O. V. The Phenomenon of ‘Bare Life’ in Terms of Constructing Human Death

Abstract: The author of the article draws the parallel between essential features of the forced labor camp and the intensive care unit of a modern hospital. The camp is viewed as a biopolitical matrix of a modern world and a structure that creates the phenomenon of living without the political will and the right of vote (‘bare life’ in Giorgio Agamben’s terminology). The author studies how the strategy of the ‘bare life’ formation defines the ethic-gnoseological format of relations with a patient who has been diagnosed with ‘brain death’. The process of constructing one’s attitude to death is associated with the deontological ethics of dying relevant to the paradigm of death shared by the community. In a technologically developed world it turns out to be connected with the law of reproduction of human resources and exchange of social benefits (donorship). In her research the author uses the interdisciplinary research methodology: analysis of the problems of modern medicine (in particular, the donorship and brain death issues) is conducted by applying philosophical framework of categories and concepts. For the first time in Russian philosophy the author of the present article demonstrates the influence of the ‘bare life’ concepts on the formation of the field of discourse and thesaurus of the modern philosophy of mind. The author also shows that a cautious attitude to donorship and pronouncement of brain death is caused by the influence of different cultural phenomena including creative writing, cinematograph, fine arts and etc. These address to the general reader (audience) and create the public opinion on life and death and therefore must be studied to provide adequate solutions of the issues the collective consciousness is concerned about.

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