Freakonomics Radio 488. Does Death Have to Be a Death Sentence?
Dec 30, 2021
B.J. Miller, a renowned palliative care physician and advocate for a new perspective on death, shares transformative insights about dying. He challenges the prevailing medical ethos of prolonging life at all costs, advocating for open conversations about mortality instead. Miller emphasizes the emotional complexities of end-of-life care, urging society to embrace death as a natural part of life. Through personal anecdotes and a critique of current healthcare practices, he calls for a compassionate approach to dying that honors individual experiences.
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Early Death Education
- Teach children about death early and openly, just like other life realities.
- Integrate death education into school curriculums, fostering open conversations and empathy.
Medicalization of Death
- Modern medicine has medicalized natural processes like death, turning them into problems to fix.
- This medicalization has sidelined other support systems like family and community.
Linda's Experience
- Steve Levitt's sister, Linda, suffered indignities while dying in a traditional medical system.
- Simple comforts like ice chips were treated as medical procedures, highlighting the system's flaws.
