The Lost Art Of Dting

"The Lost Art of Dying" (2020) by L.S. Dugdale is an insightful exploration of life, mortality, and the human psyche’s relationship with death. Inspired by historical wisdom, Dugdale revives the medieval ars moriendi tradition, a concept that views dying as an art, complete with preparatory practices to facilitate a good death. This book is both a philosophical treatise and practical guide, compelling readers to question modern medicine's approach to prolonging life at all costs. Dugdale, a physician herself, uniquely balances the medical with the existential, urging a return to conversations about death in order to better enjoy and appreciate life.

Her writing is thoughtful and compassionate, providing a fresh perspective on a topic often shrouded in fear and avoidance. Rather than focusing solely on medical solutions, she emphasizes the importance of community, spiritual reflection, and acceptance. This book encourages a paradigm shift towards understanding dying as a natural part of the human experience, prompting readers to live more fully. "The Lost Art of Dying" is a poignant, inspiring read for anyone seeking deeper understanding of life’s final journey.

Second Life

Second Life: Having a child in the digital age
By Amanda Hess (2025)

This was an interview with the author on Fresh Air, May 7, 2025.  These are my notes from the podcast.

This book addresses how technology has changed having a baby. It takes to control our relationship to our own health, our children, etc.
Blame and guilt are baked into the medical system.
With regularity, patients encounter pseudoscience on the Internet. Every weirdness is out there.

Hess describes a website, Flow, that purports to help women through gestation. It has hundreds of millions of users and yet it provides mis- and disinformation.

What spurred her to write her book was that in the early third trimester of her first pregnancy her baby was diagnosed with Beckwith-Wiedemann  syndrome.

She discovered that disability can be divorced from the human side. Her experiences give insight into the patient’s mind. The Internet preys on vulnerable people. It creates a context for patient expectations.

Our culture highly stigmatizes disability. Questions are raised about the ethics and business of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PIGD).
See the book Mercies in Disguise by Gina Kolata
There are aspects of eugenics in all of this.

Today, for those who can afford it, their babies are always being monitored by machines, such as the the “robotic crib” — Snoo Bassinet (discount price ~ $1200 and up).  Surveillance is now confused with care. There is an intrusive element to all of this.  For sure there are some positive features, but the negatives may outweigh them.

Hess sees Internet parent groups as a positive feature of the web.

Technology is not being developed for the betterment of mankind; it is being developed to drive profits for individuals and companies.

This book explores how the digital age impacts on pregnancy and child rearing. It’s an introduction to thinking about how the Internet impacts all aspects of our lives and health.