ABSTRACT
In persistent vegetation, significant damage has been done to the brain, but the brain stem remains functional; in brain death, the whole brain has ceased to function. Animalism does not entail that human animals are the only creatures capable of consciousness or self-awareness. According to Epicurus, who assumed that those who die cease to exist, there is no such thing as mortal harm or benefit: death never harms nor benefits those who die. A death that spares them this bad life would be overall good for them. Some theorists go further, and suggest that it is a good thing that we eventually die, as immortality is undesirable even in favorable circumstances. Subject value theorists face a substantial challenge: they need to clarify the features that endow an individual with her subject value, and explain why some individuals are more valuable than others, if indeed the latter is the case.
