134: On Suicide and the Indifference of Others feat. Helen Epstein

134: On Suicide and the Indifference of Others feat. Helen Epstein

February 21, 2026 · 1h 21m · Episode 134

About this episode

Abby and Patrick discuss suicide epidemics with Helen Epstein, exploring sociological and philosophical perspectives on the topic.

Abby and Patrick welcome Helen Epstein, Visiting Professor of Human Rights and Global Public Health at Bard College and author of the new book Why Live: How Suicide Becomes an Epidemic. After sketching out the history of contemporary western sociological and philosophical accounts of suicide in general from Durkheim to the existentialists and beyond, the three turn to the specific focus of Epstein’s research: suicide epidemics. As Epstein elaborates, suicide epidemics – wherein entire communi...

People in this episode

Hosts: Abby, Patrick

Guest: Helen Epstein

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bard College

Books & works: Why Live: How Suicide Becomes an Epidemic

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