NYT的文章：There’s a Lesson to Learn From Daniel Kahneman’s Death

《思考快与慢》的作者于3月27日通过安乐死结束了自己的生命，文章作者3月23日对他进行了采访

At 90, Professor Kahneman thought that he had completed his life. Long associated with Princeton University, he had certainly accomplished a great deal. In the 1970s he helped to pioneer the field of behavioral economics, contributing to our understanding of human decision making. His 2011 book, “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” was an international best seller.

But despite his advanced age, he was still capable of research and writing and could still enlighten audiences on how to make better decisions. Apart from his intellectual gifts, he was healthy enough to participate in friendship and family life. Why did none of this give him sufficient reason to continue to live?

“I feel I’ve lived my life well,” he said, “but it’s a feeling. I’m just reasonably happy with what I’ve done. I would say if there is an objective point of view, then I’m totally irrelevant to it. If you look at the universe and the complexity of the universe, what I do with my day cannot be relevant.”

We do not deny that a belief about being a burden on family may be a reason for some older people to choose to end their lives, but one should not assume that it is typically the principal reason.

Professor Kahneman signaled concern that if he did not end his life when he was clearly mentally competent, he could lose control over the remainder of it and live and die with needless “miseries and indignities.” One lesson to learn from his death is that if we are to live well to the end, we need to be able to freely discuss when a life is complete, without shame or taboo. Such a discussion may help people to know what they really want. We may regret their decisions, but we should respect their choices and allow them to end their lives with dignity.