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Caitlin Mahar

As seen in: The Guardian, The Conversation, Medical Xpress, Inside Story, Inkl, PS News
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Articles by Caitlin Mahar

The Good Death Through Time

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By Caitlin Mahar, Melbourne Press
| PS News Verified
Reviewed by Rama Gaind. By Caitlin Mahar, Melbourne University Press, $35.00. How likely is it that our ancestors can help us now to face complex questions of dying? The Good Death Through Time delves into the history of how people’s responses to dying have changed in western societies. We also get to understand when and why other Australians began to find the notion of a physician-assisted death appealing.
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Appointment with death

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By Caitlin Mahar, Melbourne Press
| Inkl
Before acquiring its more familiar contemporary meaning about 150 years ago, euthanasia simply meant a good death. Dying was seen as a spiritual ordeal to be endured with Christian patience, and thus a test of courage and character. Much emphasis fell on what came after death — salvation or something much worse — rather than its attendant agonies.
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Appointment with death • Nick Haslam

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By Caitlin Mahar, Melbourne Press, Nick Haslam
| Inside Story Verified
Even in our darker moments, few of us are likely to agree with philosopher David Benatar that it would be preferable not to have existed. Living brings pain and suffering, Benatar reminds us, which eclipse pleasure and happiness. Non-existence nullifies pain — a good thing — and means no one is around to miss out on pleasure — no bad thing. Hence, as Benatar’s 2006 book title bleakly announces, it’s Better Never to Have Been.
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Euthanasia through the ages

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By Caitlin Mahar
| Medical Xpress Verified
The term "euthanasia" is derived from the Greek for good death, but it only began to be used in a modern and familiar way in the late 19th century. For centuries in Western societies, "euthanasia" referred to a pious death blessed by God. The means of achieving a good death was set out in the enormously popular ars moriendi (art of dying) guides that offered prayers, attitudes and actions intended to guide the dying towards salvation. This wasn't necessarily a painless process.
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euthanasia through the ages

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By Caitlin Mahar
| The Conversation Verified
Today, a primary goal of both movements aimed at care of the dying – palliative care and euthanasia – is to eliminate suffering. These are underpinned by the idea that a good death is a painless death. But it wasn’t always so. The term “euthanasia” is derived from the Greek for good death, but it only began to be used in a modern and familiar way in the late 19th century. For centuries in Western societies, “euthanasia” referred to a pious death blessed by God.
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