By: Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek (professor of philosophy and vice-rector for international relations at the University of Lodz in Poland) and Peter Singer (professor emeritus of bioethics at Princeton University) / The New York Times
Translation: Agron Shala / Telegrafi.com

On March 19, 2024, we sent an email to psychologist and Nobel Prize laureate Daniel Kahneman, inviting him to participate in our podcast. Life lived better [Lives Well Lived], and suggesting a date in May. He responded immediately, saying he would not be available then, because he was on his way to Switzerland, where, although he was in relatively good health at the age of 90, he had planned to die via assisted suicide - on March 27.

As an explanation, Professor Kahneman included a letter that his friends would receive a few days later. “Since I was a teenager,” he wrote, “I have believed that the suffering and humiliation of the last years of life are unnecessary, and I am now acting on that belief. I am still active, enjoy many things in life (except the daily news), and will die a happy man. But my kidneys are failing, I am having increasingly frequent mental blackouts, and I am 90 years old. It is time for me to go.”

Read also: My parents after assisted death, still holding hands: Martin Roemers' most personal photograph

Some of those he loved, he added, had tried to persuade him to wait until it became clear that his life was no longer worth prolonging, but had finally reluctantly agreed to support him in his decision.

We didn't try to push Professor Kahneman away, but we asked him to see the interview as a last chance to tell people what he thought they needed to know about a life well lived. He accepted the invitation, although he didn't want to discuss his decision to end his life.

The interview took place on March 23. Professor Kahneman was cheerful and lively, without any mental lapses. He wrote to us the next day to say that he had enjoyed the conversation very much. We heard nothing more from him. He died, as he had planned, on March 27.

Professor Kahneman's death announcements at the time did not reveal how or where he died. Now that these facts have been made public, we feel we can discuss the important issues raised by his choice to end his life.

Many countries and ten US states allow voluntary assisted suicide for those who are nearing death. In some jurisdictions, assistance is also permitted for those with a terminal condition that causes them unbearable suffering. But allowing relatively healthy people to end their lives because they consider their lives to be over is more controversial. Professor Kahneman traveled to Switzerland because it allows competent adults with a firm desire to die to receive assistance in dying - legally, whether or not they are residents.

At 90, Professor Kahneman felt he had fulfilled his life. Long associated with Princeton University, he had undoubtedly achieved much. In the 70s, he helped found the field of behavioral economics, contributing to our understanding of human decision-making. His 2011 book, To think, fast and slow [Thinking, fast and slow], was an international bestseller.

But despite his advanced age, he was still capable of research and writing, and could enlighten audiences on how to make better decisions. In addition to his intellectual gifts, he was healthy enough to participate in social and family life. Why didn't any of this give him enough reason to go on living?

We believe the answer can be found towards the end of our interview with him. He surprised us by denying that his work had any objective significance. “Others respect it and say it’s for the good of humanity,” he said. “I just enjoy waking up in the morning because I enjoy the work.”

We argued against it, arguing that there are objectively good things that can be done with one’s life. But he resisted. “I feel like I’ve lived my life well,” he said, “but that’s just a feeling. I’m just happy enough with what I’ve done. I would say that if there is an objective view, then I’m completely irrelevant to it. If you look at the universe and its complexity, what I do during the day can’t possibly matter.”

We do not subscribe to the idea that the size and complexity of the universe make an individual's contribution to the good of humanity insignificant. But if, after careful reflection, you decide that your life is over and you remain consistent in that view for a long time, then you are the best judge of what is good for you. This is especially clear in the case of people of an age when they cannot hope for an improvement in the quality of life.

There are serious reasons to oppose such an expansion of the right to die. Perhaps some elderly people who say they are tired of life would feel more positive if they received psychological help. Perhaps doctors should not be involved in such a procedure, since the patient is not receiving treatment for a terminal illness. Perhaps, if it becomes common for elderly people to seek and receive assistance in dying - even when they are not near death or have a terminal illness - many of them who believe they are a burden to their families will feel compelled to end their lives.

All of these objections can be addressed. It should be mandatory for those seeking assistance in dying to first receive psychological counseling. As for the involvement of doctors, in many countries the reason for their involvement is that the patient must have a serious medical condition, and usually only doctors can prescribe the necessary medications and sign the death certificate. But a new professional specialty could be developed to help people die even when they do not have a serious medical condition.

We don’t deny that the belief that you are a burden to your family may be a reason why some older people choose to end their lives, but it shouldn’t be assumed that this is usually the main reason. In Oregon, where assisted dying is legal, the state reviews cases that comply with the law every year: feeling like a burden to others was a concern for 42 percent of patients who died with the assistance of a physician last year, but it was less important than loss of autonomy (89 percent), inability to participate in activities that make life enjoyable (88 percent), and loss of dignity (64 percent). It’s not unreasonable for people whose quality of life has declined to a level that is only marginally positive to consider whether they are a burden to their loved ones.

Professor Kahneman expressed concern that if he did not end his life while he was still mentally competent, he might lose control over the rest of it and live and die in unnecessary suffering and humiliation. One lesson that can be drawn from his death is that, if we are to live well to the end, we must be able to discuss freely when life is considered to be over - without shame or taboo. Such a discussion can help people understand what they really want. We may regret their decisions, but we should respect their choices and allow them to end their lives with dignity. /Telegraph/

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