What Constitutes 'The Good Life'?

Christianity Today has an article taken from the new book by Charles Colson and Harry Fickett. The article centers around 'The $64,000 Question' - the life of his autistic grandson, and what that money could do for others, according to Peter Singer, the Princeton ethicist.

Singer believes we should be creating maximum happiness or pleasure for the greatest number of creatures, humans and animals alike. Singer's moral philosophy is a form of utilitarianism. There is no room in his beliefs for the disabled, however mild or severe.

Singer minces no words: "All I say about severely disabled babies is that when life is so miserable that it's not worth living, then it is permissible to give it a lethal injection." He asks rhetorically, "Why limit the killing to the womb?" As if to answer his own question, he says, "Infanticide … should not be ruled out any more than abortion."

In the article, Colson notes what could be done with the money that is spent on one autistic child, if it were spent in Africa or on inner-city kids who need schooling. And, he further states that, if we think humanity would not take severely disabled persons, especially children, and get rid of them, then they do not know the history of the Western civilization in the 'enlightened' 20th Century. We already know, through the Schiavo case, where the courts are leading us. Didn't matter that this young woman was 'wanted' by her family so they could take care of her. Someone (her husband) decided her life wasn't worth living, and the lawyers and judge agreed with him. So, her life was cut short - not by natural death, but by starvation. Oregon already has a law in place that legalized assisted-suicide. Stay tuned to America; more is coming!

Colson talks about how his daughter and her son relate to one another, the joy that is produced when he interacts with his grandson. This is nothing but love. Utilitarianism has no place for these feelings between the parent and child, the love that is felt in the heart. It's a matter of what is best for society, I suppose - the judgement call for life or death depends on one's on view of how important truth is. And, with real love, there is truth.

The meaning of 'the good life' rests with the individual. How do you feel about abortion? How would you feel, if your doctor said your unborn child would have specific problems when born? What decisions would you make? Are you in favor of doctor-assisted suicides? Would love and truth overrule what utilitarianism dictates?

'The good life' as we know it today is slowing slipping away. More and more laws are being put into place that enables others to make decisions that we might not make for ourselves. Hopefully, we will never be caught in a position where we aren't able to decide on things for ourselves, but many will be.

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|Technorati|utilitarianism, Charles Colson, autism