Interesting observations GDR! Mr. P. The one thing of which I am positive is that there is much of which to be negative - Mr. P.The pain in hell has two sides. The kind you can touch with your hand; the kind you can feel in your heart...Scorsese's "Mean Streets"I came to kick ass and chew Bubble Gum...and I am all out of Bubble Gum - They Live, Roddy Piper

Was anyone else surprised at that idea that most contries have similar definitions of brain death? I would have thought that there would have been some religious/cultural differences between societies.

Mad - I was mildly disappointed at the way in which Gazzaniga approaches the actual ethical issues themselves. I have two general qualms, and I hope that they're not characteristic of the whole book. The first is his tendency to simply give his opinion without really fleshing out the reasons he settled on that opinion. The bulk of the chapter is devoted to fleshing out the problems, which I can appreciate, and while he was up front in the preface that he wouldn't always have answers, that isn't what's happening here. He's giving answers to the questions -- at least those posed so far -- but he makes almost no attempt to let the outsider see inside those answers.Thank you! I struggled with this chapter and how to articulate what I didn't like about it. I had the same idea, but my margin notes are not nearly as articulate and what you have written above. you have really hit the nail on the head.

I agree with tarav here. Bickering is boring. Everyone has a right to their point of view, and there's no need to bash theists *or* atheists. Michael