dxu comments on Why people want to die - Less Wrong

49 Post author: PhilGoetz 24 August 2015 08:13PM

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Comment author: dxu 31 August 2015 01:00:04AM 0 points [-]

Many elderly people, faced with a slow decline pre-commit to some Schelling fence or set of conditions for when they want to stop living.

I don't know about you, but I wasn't talking about those. I was talking about the same kind of people PhilGoetz was talking about:

I live in a small town full of retirees, and those few I've asked about it are waiting for death peacefully. When I ask them about their ambitions, or things they still want to accomplish, they have none.

By switching the topic of discussion away from retirees and to ill people, you've effectively pulled a bait-and-switch. Let's try to stay on topic, neh?

Comment author: Lumifer 31 August 2015 01:14:25AM 2 points [-]

By switching the topic of discussion away from retirees and to ill people, you've effectively pulled a bait-and-switch.

Nope, I don't think so. You said:

They are not expecting some future change in their circumstances that would render death suddenly a thing that they want.

and this is plainly false -- it's false not just for ill people. Retirees are quite aware that their health and mental abilities will continue to worsen with age.

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