How Much of the Brain Must Die in Brain Death?

This article will argue three theses: (1) the phenomenon known as "brain death" is the explicit formulation of society's implicit concept of death; (2) the best criterion of death, admittedly an approximation, is the permanent cessation of of the whole brain; and (3) future changes in techology will not the definition of death but will slightly alter the criterion of death permitting us to refine further the precise quantity and location of-cell destruction that is necessary and sufficient for death.