The fifth Lecture on Frontiers in Humanities organized by the Institute of Advanced Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences (IAS) was successfully held at the Lecture Hall of the Cultural Building (E34) on 18 February 2022 (Friday). Professor Wang Qingjie, the Senior Research Fellow of the IAS, Associate Dean of Faculty of Arts and Humanities and Distinguished Professor of Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, was invited to give a lecture on the topic “Euthanasia and The Human Rights to Die with Dignity”, and share his fruitful research achievements in the field of ethics and moral philosophy. Professor Tong lo Cheng, Dean of the Faculty of Law, was invited to be the moderator.
The lecture adopted a combination of online and offline mode and attracted around 240 professionals, students, alumni, and external audiences from different academic backgrounds. During the lecture, Professor Wang analyzed the definition of euthanasia and the major arguments against it, and thoroughly introduced active voluntary euthanasia from a perspective of comparative philosophy. In addition, Professor Wang also proposed a conclusion that active voluntary euthanasia should not be taken as a thing against our human mortal nature and discussed the topic that human beings should not only have absolute, inalienable moral rights and dignity to live but also should have those rights and dignity to die.
This lecture belongs to the cluster of “Chinese Culture in Diverse Cultural Environment” of the IAS. The IAS will continue to launch high-quality academic activities in major research fields, to promote cross-border cooperation and diversified dialogue in various fields of humanities and social sciences, and contribute to the construction of an interdisciplinary, multi-field and high-level university research platform.