I have long enjoyed reading Daniel Kahneman and listening to his interviews, and I’ve written several blog posts reflecting on what I’ve learned from his work.

I wrote this piece some time ago, but it has been sitting on my laptop. My hesitation in publishing it came from a simple place: I’m not an expert. I’m still learning, still forming my views, and I don’t yet have settled opinions.

With the second anniversary of Daniel Kahneman’s passing approaching in two weeks, this article feels like the right way to share it — as a small tribute to someone from whom I have learned a great deal.

Daniel Kahneman, the Nobel Prize–winning psychologist who transformed how we think about decision-making and human judgment, died in March 2024.

At the time, reports offered few details.

Kahneman had turned 90 on March 22 and spent his final days in Paris with his partner and his daughter’s family—walking the city, visiting museums, and lingering in cafés.

On March 19, he was invited by Dr Lazari-Radek and Dr Singer to appear on their podcast, Lives Well Lived. Kahneman replied that he would not be available in May, as he was travelling to Switzerland to die by assisted suicide on March 27.

Persuaded to see the interview as a final reflection on living well, he agreed. The conversation took place on March 23. Kahneman was cheerful and intellectually sharp. He wrote the next day to say how much he had enjoyed it.

I heard the podcast at the time and learned a great deal. I could never have guessed it would be Daniel’s last interview. I only hope I’m as sharp as he is when I turn 90.

He died as planned four days later.

“Death” remains a taboo subject; we rarely discuss it openly with family or friends.

The fear runs deep. When “death insurance” was rebranded as “life insurance,” sales reportedly surged manyfold—an uncomfortable reminder of how language shapes our willingness to confront reality.

How did the world’s leading authority on decision-making arrive at the ultimate decision?

His choice raises difficult questions: lifespan versus health span; autonomy versus obligation; and who ultimately has the right to decide—the individual, the family, or the state?

We may never know his full reasoning. But his research, writings, and interviews offer some clues.

First, Kahneman’s wife and mother both suffered for years from dementia. He may have calculated that the downside risk of continued life outweighed the potential upside.

Second, as Jason Zweig observed, Kahneman deeply understood the psychological importance of Happy endings. He also understood the peak-end rule: we judge experiences not by their duration, but by their emotional peak and how they end.

Perhaps he wanted his story to end clearly, deliberately, and on his own terms.

Finally, Kahneman valued life but also stated that human beings are complex.

Kahneman once recounted a childhood memory from Nazi-occupied France. A German SS soldier stopped him on the street. Terrified, Kahneman expected the worst. Instead, the soldier lifted him up, hugged him, showed him a photograph of his own son, gave him some money, and sent him on his way—never knowing the child was Jewish.

Humans, Kahneman observed, are capable of good and evil at the same time.

Perhaps his final decision reflects that same complexity: rational, emotional, principled, and deeply personal.

Note: Kahneman's close friends and family said his decision was entirely personal, and he did not endorse or advocate for assisted suicide for anyone else.

Take it easy until next time.

Blogging is something I enjoy, and I share my thoughts on my blog most weekends. Explore all my blogs at https://lnkd.in/ejq7CWaQ

Views are my own.

Blogging is something I enjoy, and I share my thoughts on my blog most weekends.

Read all my “Notes to Self” at view all blogs.