Sometimes the backstory is more revealing than the story.
In yesterday's NYT, the philosophers Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek and Peter Singer published a piece that recalled their interview with Danny Kahneman, a week before he flew to Switzerland to end his life.
There’s a Lesson to Learn From Daniel Kahneman’s Death, by Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek and Peter Singer April 14, 2025
"On March 19, 2024, we emailed the psychologist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, inviting him to appear on our podcast, “Lives Well Lived,” and suggesting a date in May. He replied promptly, saying that he would not be available then because he was on his way to Switzerland, where, despite being relatively healthy at 90, he planned to die by assisted suicide on March 27.
"In explanation, Professor Kahneman included a letter that his friends would receive a few days later. “I have believed since I was a teenager,” he wrote, “that the miseries and indignities of the last years of life are superfluous, and I am acting on that belief. I am still active, enjoying many things in life (except the daily news) and will die a happy man. But my kidneys are on their last legs, the frequency of mental lapses is increasing, and I am 90 years old. It is time to go.”
...
"We did not try to dissuade Professor Kahneman, but we asked him to view the interview as a final opportunity to tell people what he thought they should know about living well. He accepted the invitation, though he did not wish to discuss his decision to end his life."
"The interview took place on March 23. Professor Kahneman was cheerful and lively, with no mental lapses."
#########
They go on to think aloud about why Danny might have decided to end his life, and about medical aid in dying--i.e. physician assisted suicide--more generally. But, as agreed, they didn't discuss this in the interview, which you can listen to below. (I found it a little slow moving, almost as if they would have preferred to be talking about assisted suicide...)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment