Yale professor tells Japanese senior citizens to ‘kill themselves’, but why?

[Nearly Sane]

Logan's Run takes a step closer


https://www.firstpost.com/world/yale-professor-tells-japanese-senior-citizens-to-kill-themselves-to-deal-with-countrys-aging-population-12146522.html

[Sriram]

Rational thinking gone awry....

[Nearly Sane]

Rational thinking gone awry....

I think it's easy to see it like that but I would suggest that a lot of this is tied up with a reverence of a tradition of self sacrifice driven by a sense of honour, and that part is not rational. I think too often we see the rational calculation of how to achieve a goal as what has gone wrong rather the goal itself and that choice of goal is not rational.

To take an example, the Nazi meeting at Wannsee was filled by rationality of how to achieve the goal of exterminating the Jewish people. But it was driven by hate and fear, by the belief in tribal rights.

As Hume wrote 'Reason is a slave to the passions'.

[Sriram]

Yes..you are probably right! 

[Udayana]

The idea is obviously rubbish, hardly "rational".

I don't even agree that there is a "problem" there to solve - having an increase in the relative population of elders is hardly a "problem".

I do, however, think think there should be a "right to die". People who decide that their life has come to the point that they don't want to continue living should have assistance in ending it as they choose.

[jeremyp]

I tend to think Yale economics professors are a burden on society.

He knows what to do.