Shelly Kagan : Death education is not taboo

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By CGTN's Dialogue

It's the one thing we all have in common: dying.

Yet death is still a taboo topic in many countries including China.

In Professor Shelly Kagan’s popular course on death at Yale University, he examines a number of issues that arise once we begin to reflect on our own mortality.

“It's especially important that we emphasise death education as a particular topic like other subjects for our kids,” he said. “It is more than a pity that we take death as a taboo since people feel afraid and embarrassed to talk about death.”

Since his course was introduced online for free in China, Kagan’s thinking, views on death and the necessity of teaching has attracted a large following.

On religion, Kagan said one of its roles is to keep people satisfied but it can also have a negative impact.

Religion, he said, also plays an important role in teaching and spreading views about dignity.

Dialogue with Yang Rui is a 30-minute current affairs talk show on CGTN. It airs daily at 7.30 p.m. BJT (1130GMT), with rebroadcasts at 3.30 a.m. (1930GMT) and 11.30 a.m. (0330GMT).