Do Not Go Gentle: The Case Against Assisted Death

by Kathleen Stock

"Do Not Go Gentle is a bracing, often chilling wrestle with the ethical dilemmas surrounding the assisted death service - a deeply unsettling read, clear and powerful. Kathleen Stock remains fearless, endless, thought provoking and always entertaining." Nick Cave

Is there a right to die?

Is assisted death really compassionate?

Are we sleepwalking into a moral disaster?

In Do Not Go Gentle, acclaimed writer and philosopher Kathleen Stock tackles one of the great debates of our should we set up a system of assisted death? With her trademark sharp thinking and dry wit, the bestselling author of Material Girls argues that despite what some progressives might tell you, assisted death will not give a person more "freedom" or "control" over their lives. Whether you have a terminal illness, are in chronic pain, or are disabled, being able to ask your doctor to kill you fundamentally changes society's attitude towards the vulnerable - and in a sinister direction.

Life is complex. For some individuals, an assisted death might be the right choice. But we should be deeply wary of introducing a system that offers death as just another option, especially when palliative care is so under-resourced. Expertly marshalling the arguments, Stock's laser polemic cuts through the wishful thinking and clouded reasoning that surrounds the issue and reaffirms life, rather than death, as what we should be fighting for. Collectively, we should rage against the dying of the light.

Genres: Nonfiction

Audible Audio

First published April 2, 2026

About the author

Kathleen Stock is a professor of philosophy at the University of Sussex. She has published on aesthetics, fiction, imagination, and sexual objectification. She is currently the vice-president of the British Society of Aesthetics. In her monograph Only Imagine: Fiction, Interpretation and Imagination (2017) she examines the nature of fictional content. She has also written a book examining the UK Gender Recognition Act and trans self-identification.

Stock has written one monograph and articles in peer-reviewed academic journals and has contributed several chapters to edited volumes. She edited Philosophers on Music: Experience, Meaning, and Work (first edition 2007) and together with Katherine Thomson-Jones she edited New Waves in Aesthetics (2008).

She has given lectures at the University of York, the Aristotelian Society, the London Aesthetics Forum, the University of Wolverhampton, the American Society for Aesthetics, and other places.

Reviews

[Silver Sea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll put my biases on the table. My gut was already against state-sanctioned and state-provided death, and I love Kathleen Stock. I am not religious and I am a doctor.

Her book is a model of logic and clarity, putting my gut rumblings into actual arguments, backed up by evidence from other countries and from real medical practice, why passing Kim Leadbetter's proposed law on 'assisted dying' is unsafe and a frightening departure from the principle of intrinsic human value. She carefully parses the arguments arising from the principles of bodily autonomy and from mercy and demonstrates why state-assisted suicide is logically inconsistent, and the dangers it brings to society. She writes with huge empathy for suffering and with real love for humanity which only strengthens her message. I write this on the day the Bill timed out in the Lords, and can only hope that it did so for Dr Stock's reasons - GOOD reasons. Before any future Bill gets tabled, I would encourage all legislators, doctors, activists and voters to consider her - very considered - words.

The advantage of listening to the audio book is that Dr Stock reads it so well, but I would recommend (and will be buying) a paper version for visual reference to interlocking arguments.

[Noodle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important read. It takes a very complex and emotional topic and gives you a way to think about it more clearly.
What stood out to me most is the difference between a private moral tragedy and public policy. On a personal level, I can feel deep sympathy for someone who is suffering and wants control over how their life ends - that’s real and hard to dismiss. But turning that into something the state supports or funds is a completely different question.
The part that stays with me is the risk of gradual expansion of criteria. What starts as tightly controlled, exceptional cases can shift over time. Systems change, pressures change, and what once felt unthinkable can become normalised, and that’s what gives me pause.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent philosophical approach to the case against assisted death. The author argues for some cases where it is good to help people die and I think its a bit unclear as to what exactly she is arguing for there but otherwise excellent.

[Alivanda Tsikav · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well no spoilers on this from me 🤭 but I highly recommend.

[Ira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick Cave mentioning this book in his Red Hand Files brought me here. I started listening to the audiobook (very well read by the author herself) mostly because I was curious what kind of arguments against assisted dying she would make. I thought my opinion on the subject was already fairly settled, but I have to admit that Stock’s compassionate narration, ethical reasoning and some of the uncomfortable facts she presents definitely swayed me a little.

I honestly don’t know in what situation I would recommend this book to someone. Maybe simply if you feel the need to sit with something difficult and uncomfortable for a while – then here it is.