Joseph Heath, Philosophical Foundations of Climate Change Policy (Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2021), pp. 339.

Abstract

Kamm thinks through some contributions by physicians and other practitioners. Take for example what Gawande says about what he calls “the dying role.” The dying role is the position that a person occupies at the end of her life where she is able to set her affairs in order, make amends, pass on wisdom, share memories, etc. Gawande says that the dying role is “among life’s most important roles” (p. 72). Against Gawande, Kamm presents the following hypothetical. Imagine that medicine could deny the dying role to people and instead of time in the dying role, the person could be in perfectly good health and have meaningful projects. Does it make sense for the person to exchange this for the dying role? Kamm argues that if it does, it follows that Gawande is wrong and the dying role is not among life’s most important. Kamm acknowledges that perhaps the dying role is still worthwhile when there are no other sources of meaning and that it might be unwise to interfere with meaningful projects (including the dying role), just for the slim chance of a successful medical treatment. She points out that perhaps the dying role is more important for some people than for others. Perhaps it matters a great deal to those who have lived so badly that they need to find peace or make amends. I have a couple of points to make about this. First, Kamm’s reading of Gawande’s position strikes me as too strong. Given Gawande’s practical goals as a physician, we might want to read Gawande as saying that the dying role is one of the most important in life, given how we actually are and the current state of medicine. If this is so, Kamm’s hypothetical would not show that Gawande’s position is wrong. Second, the weaker position that Kamm is willing to accept might be much more interesting than Kamm seems to think it is. It sounds right that the dying role is more important for some people than others, but it is an empirical question how many people actually benefit from the dying role. Kamm does not provide empirical evidence, so, for all we know, it could very well be that all of us would benefit from being in the dying role. These points of concern, however, can only arise about a rich and deep book that constantly invites us to think more and more carefully about vitally important issues for us mortal creatures.