How we die in America (and why it’s important to talk about it)

“What we have found is that technologies are not prolonging human life. They are really just prolonging human death.” – Ann Neumann

Ann Neumann (@otherspoon) is a visiting scholar at the NYU Center for Religion and Media and author of the book, The Good Death.

In this episode of Deviate, Rolf and Ann discuss what got her involved in the topic of death and dying (5:00); end-of-life care (13:00); confronting the finality of death, and the parallels between death and travel (22:00); hospice, and dignity in death (39:00); the evolving definition of death and associated medical logistics (44:00); and how we address death as a society (56:00).

For more from Ann, check out her author website.

People and books mentioned:

• Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey
• Ecclesiastes (book of the Old Testament)
• Barbara Ehrenreich (author and political activist)
• Joanne Lynn (author and policy advocate)
• Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer, by Barbara Ehrenreich (book)
• Knocking on Heaven’s Door, by Katy Butler (book)
• “What Broke My Father’s Heart,” by Katy Butler (article)
• Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande (book)
• “Letting Go,” by Atul Gawande (article)
• Caitlin Doughty (author and mortician)
• Karen Ann Quinlan (significant figure in the history of the right to die)
• Nancy Cruzan (significant figure in the history of the right to die)
• Terri Schaivo (significant figure in the history of the right to die)
• Michel Foucault (philosopher)
• Jacob Appel (writer)

Notable concepts and medical terms:

• Memento mori (theory of mortality)
• Alzheimer’s disease (neurodegenerative disease)
• Hospice (type/philosophy of health care)
• Intubation (medical procedure)
• Do not resuscitate (medical legal order)
• Persistent vegetative state (disorder of consciousness)
• Advance healthcare directive (legal document)
• #BucketListPlus1 (end-of-life care campaign)
• Biopolitics (intersectional academic discipline)
• Mensch (Yiddish word/concept)

The Deviate theme music comes from the title track of Cedar Van Tassel’s 2017 album Lumber.

Note: We don’t host a “comments” section, but we’re happy to hear your questions and insights via email, at deviate@rolfpotts.com.