Conference, Film screening
Endings and Meanings Existential Suffering in the 21st Century
- Details
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Venue on April 8 (film screening & conversation):
Filmpodium
NĂĽschelerstrasse 11
8001 ZurichVenue accessibility info for April 9 (conference):
Rudolf Wolf Room, Collegium HelveticumThis event is intended for an interested professional audience, with limited places available. To attend the conference, please register your interest in attending the event. The organizer will reach out to confirm your participation.
A number of countries have legalized some form of assisted dying on the basis of a terminal medical diagnosis over the last decades. A significant issue in the ongoing discussion around legalization remains how to address the phenomenon of “existential suffering”—a form of suffering which causes a desire to die that is not necessarily linked to any physical or mental illness but stems from the conviction that one’s life has lost its meaning.
The issue has not only been taken up by institutions such as the Swiss Supreme Court and the Dutch parliament but has also been reflected upon in cultural productions. Works like Ferdinand von Schirach’s play Gott (2020) and Tuki Jencquel’s documentary Jackie the Wolf (2023) exemplify how narratives critically engage with questions surrounding existential suffering as a reason for seeking an assisted death. By bringing together experts from disciplines such as medical ethics, sociology, psychology, literary and film studies, philosophy, and history, this symposium’s aim is to enhance our comprehension of existential suffering by considering its ramifications for assisted dying, its representation in cultural productions, and its influence on the evolving legal frameworks surrounding end-of-life decisions.
Program
Tuesday, April 8
Venue:
Filmpodium
NĂĽschelerstrasse 11
8001 Zurich
| 18:00 |
Introduction & film screeningJackie the Wolf (2023) |
| 19:45–20:45 |
Conversation |
Program
Wednesday, April 9
| 09:00 |
Opening & welcome remarksBy the organizer Anna M. Elsner and the Collegium's directorate. |
| 09:15 |
“Completed Life” in the Netherlands |
The Meaning of Existential Suffering in Late Life and the Primacy of WitnessingEls van Wijngaarden |
|
Public Intellectuals’ Perspectives on Completion and Assisted Suicide in the NetherlandsWouter Schrover |
|
| 10:15 |
Regaining Meaningful Connection to Life |
Existential Psychological Care for Individuals with a Chronic Death Wish Related to Psychiatric SufferingSofie Verdegem |
|
“Au-delà de toute souffrance que je connais déjà ” |
|
| 11:15 |
Coffee break |
| 11:45 |
Navigating Existential Suffering and Assisted Suicide in Switzerland |
Existential Suffering Through the Experience of Professionals Receiving Requests for Suicide Assistance in SwitzerlandSamia Hurst-Majno |
|
The Social Meaning of a Request for Assisted SuicideAlexandre Pillonel |
|
| 12:45 |
Lunch break |
| 14:00 |
From Philosophical Debates to Emerging Legal Frameworks |
The Fight to Die |
|
Existential Suffering in the History of Assisted Dying DebatesVanessa Rampton |
|
The End of Existential SufferingJasper Doomen |
|
| 15:45 |
Round tableModerated by Anna Elsner and Marc Keller Tuki Jencquel Brian Hurwitz Steven Wilson Outi Hakola |
| 16:45 |
Closing remarks |
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