• Lisbeth Thoresen.
• Faculty of Health Sciences, Vestfold University College, Norway.
• Int J Palliat Nurs. 2003 Jan 1; 9 (1): 19-23.

AbstractIn her writings, Cicely Saunders has developed a total framework of caring for seriously ill people. Saunders' reaction to what she has experienced as bad contemporary post-war health care is to be found in her hospice philosophy. In this article this philosophy is analysed through the writings of Charles Taylor. Taylor is a Canadian philosopher who has delivered important views on what it means to live a 'good' and 'authentic' life in a modern society. By focusing on Saunders' writings from Taylor's perspective it becomes apparent that Saunders has created a very modern theory. The author has found that different aspects of a good and authentic life are important values in Saunders' good and authentic death. These findings are followed by one question: is Saunders' hospice philosophy too focused on values such as individuality, control and autonomy, giving too little attention to fragility and dependency?

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