Ageing and Death - Breaking a Taboo

Abstract

Abstract:This position paper argues for addressing 'good death' as part of 'well ageing' in human life. Although in most societies death is protected through taboos, we have to provide solutions in helping citizens preparing for their own death. The Oedipus Trilogy is an ancient narrative to describe clearly the three phases in any human life, the unavoidability of those phase changes. We have to use the last phase of our life to prepare for the end. We will summarize the different philosophical positons regarding 'meaning of life', and -although addressing death is a mainly social issue -we describe the challenges for future ICT development in supporting the important last steps of preparing for a 'good death'.

Por qué tu coño te parece feo

“…Con respecto al tiempo, el tabú se encuentra en la muerte (Rauterberg & Irandoust, 2015). Los ancianos aparcados en las residencias nos señalan nuestro camino inexorable hacia la nada, hacia el polvo.…”

How to Pay Attention to the End of Our Life: An Interactive Installation in Cultural Computing

“…Answering this question from a sociological and humanistic point of view has concerned philosophers and social scientists for centuries. They have been trying to develop and evaluate principles which are meant to capture all the particular ways that a life could obtain a meaning [5].…”

“…We are really in need of a new vision on life in general and end of life in particular. This paper focuses on the notion of a 'good death' as part of the human life [11] and how ICT could play a role in creating a meaning [5].…”