October 11, 2003

Economists as agony aunts

Posted by Chris

The FT’s economist-as-agony-aunt column takes a look at the costs and benefits of suicide .

Posted on October 11, 2003 11:57 AM UTC
Comments

but surely there is a cost to holding onto an option that, in the wake of the updated information about the expected utility the would-be suicidee has about his future, makes him consider cashing it in?

Posted by dippy · October 11, 2003 01:43 PM

More ego-centric economic utilitarian hogwash. The ego is not a bank or a stock investor. It doesn’t enjoy or profit from life, it IS life. Life is ebbing out of that man; tragedy has robbed him of his capacity to connect with things and thus experience the flow of life within him. Life is not his option, he is LIFE’s option, and life has had done with him, that’s it. The only pleasure left to him is the ultimate pleasure: death, ultimate alleviation of tensions, final non-sexual orgasm, yes, I call to you, gorgeous mistress, unparalleled conquest which destroys the conquistador, may you bless us with a beautiful seduction.

Posted by Fabian Delecto · October 11, 2003 05:40 PM

Dear God, never let Tim Hartford volunteer for the suicide hotline. The number of jumpers would double overnight.

Now, why would we assume people attempting suicide are acting rationally?

Posted by brayden · October 11, 2003 10:24 PM

The FT column is a joke, right? It reads like a joke to me.

Posted by Walt Pohl · October 12, 2003 03:29 AM

Acute exogenous shocks have sunk many a profitable enterprise. Your life could stay irrational longer than you can stand to stick around.

Perhaps an emergency loan program of love, attention and sex should be created, charging most of their future earnings. They were gonna die anyway, so it’s win-win.

Posted by andrew · October 12, 2003 07:58 AM

Economics geeks have a weird sense of humor.

Posted by Laertes · October 12, 2003 08:14 PM

Lighten up, folks. The piece was primarily tongue in cheek. I used to work with Tim Harford, and he is one of the funnier people I know (I was going to say “one of the funnier economists”, but that would not carry much weight). On the other hand, I have never worked on suicide hotline, and would make a point of not recommending me for the job, but it would be interesting to see how much of the advice offered is implicitly option value reasoning.

Posted by William Sjostrom · October 13, 2003 12:49 PM

Is there any way to view this article without entering a credit card number?

Posted by spacewaitress · October 14, 2003 07:24 PM
Followups

→ Economist.
Excerpt: If you are feeling suicidal, would you write to a column entitled "Dear Economist"? If the answer is yes, then I strongly suggest some major lifestyle changes. But, more to the point, you deserve what you get: Presumably you are contemplating suicide f...Read more at Keywords

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.