Immortality and the philosophy of death books pics. The witness to immortality in literature, philosophy and life by george a. Immortality and the philosophy of death and millions of other books are. Immortality and the philosophy of death by michael cholbi. Books about immortality philosophy what should i read. Long has produced a monograph that takes interpretive risks and gives due attention to neglected dimensions of welltravelled ancient authors. Gordon houghton mifflin and company, 1900 read overview aging, death, and the quest for immortality by c. Immortality and the philosophy of death is an extremely valuable addition to the philosophical literature on these fascinating issues. Death and immortality new studies in the philosophy of. Reflections on the tedium of immortality, problems of the self, 2009 1973. Language, metaphysics, and death, 1994 online research. It analyzes the views of ancient greek philosophers including socrates, plato, aristotle, and epicurus about death. A history of the afterlife in western religion by alan segal, and the strand of soul and living on by religious promise in a way the segal book is the perfect accompaniment to reading gilgamesh, because he so brilliantly puts this into a broader context. Ethics, aging, ending patients lives, and allocating vital resources by john frederic kilner the quest for paradise.
The book is shorter, and less elaborate, than kagans death. Edited by sidney morgenbesser, patrick suppes and morton white. May 24, 20 immortality remains a mustread, and the ernest becker book mentioned in the conversation, the denial of death, is also very much worth a read. Death and immortality new studies in the philosophy of religion phillips, d. It might seem obvious that immortality would be good, but many have questioned this, including bernard williams who famously argued that unending life. The twentyfour readings require no background in philosophy. Phillips asks the question, does belief in immortality rest on amistake. There are surprisingly few sustained scholarly treatments of death and immortality in. Long, death and immortality in ancient philosophy, cambridge university press, 2019, 232pp.
Death, immortality, and meaning in life by john martin. Death and immortality played a central role in greek and roman thought, from homer and early greek philosophy to marcus aurelius. His answer to this question is in the affirmative, arguing that if immortality means the survival of the personal soul or conscience after death, then such a belief is confused. And the key thing is that philosophy can allow you to overcome the fear of death without requiring a belief in the afterlife, a sort of longing for immortality. Never translated before, thoughts on death and immortality was the first published work of ludwig feuerbach 18041872.
Pdf death and immortality ideologies in western philosophy. Immortality, in philosophy and religion, the indefinite continuation of the mental, spiritual, or physical existence of individual human beings. The book answers questions about what death is and why it matters that help define the growing interdisciplinary subfield of philosophy of death. Visions of heaven and eternity in the worlds myths and religions by john ashton and tom whyte. The remains of a living organism begin to decompose shortly after death. This chapter discusses the theme of this book, which is the philosophical aspect of death. This book invites the reader to critically appraise his or her own attitudes toward death and immortality by exploring the ethical, metaphysical, and psychological complexities associated with these issues. Reviewed by emily austin, wake forest university a.
To clarify death further, we will need to say a bit about the nature of life, and ask whether life can be suspended or restored, and how it relates to our continued existence. Socrates insistence that philosophy is a preparation for death raised in my mind the importance of finding out what life is really all about. Organised around central metaphysical questions from whether soul is immortal to what can experience death, it brings together pivotal readings from ancient, modern and contemporary philosophers. Long, death and immortality in ancient philosophy, cambridge university press, 2019. Long explains the significance of death and immortality in ancient ethics, particularly platos dialogues, stoicism and epicureanism. Its engaging and accessible narrative is clearly organized into ten chapters that address meaning in life, death, the badness. Death and immortality new studies in the philosophy of religion. In many contexts the greek word is closer to our notion of life than soul. Michael cholbi is professor of philosophy at california state polytechnic university pomona.
What are some good books on the philosophy of death. The best books on immortality five books expert recommendations. Mikel burley challenges that my essay, philosophy, death and immortality, in which i discussed the views of dewi phillips, fails to establish the case for a realist treatment of claims about. There are seven chapters, addressing philosophical issues pertaining to death, the badness of death, time and death, ideas on immortality, near death experiences, and extending life through medical technology. Fischer has done a masterful job of distilling the key philosophical issues about death and immortality in an accessible way for both general and academic audiences. The quest to live forever and how it drives civilization was released in april 2012. Luc bovens, the value of hope, philosophy and phenomenological research, 1999. Death, immortality, and meaning in life paperback john. Philosophy news death and immortality in ancient philosophy. Plato, phaedo john perry, a dialogue on personal identity and immortality leo tolstoy, the death of ivan ilych course packet. It depicts death as a companion, your death is born with you and follows you a. Before dedicating himself to writing, cave worked for the british foreign office. The last book in his dark materials phillip pullman series deals with death in a very beautiful way to me. Feb 07, 2009 and the key thing is that philosophy can allow you to overcome the fear of death without requiring a belief in the afterlife, a sort of longing for immortality.
In many philosophical and religious traditions, immortality is specifically conceived as the continued existence of an immaterial soul or mind beyond the physical death of the body. Bibliography self cosmology science philosophy psychological aspects immortality philosophy time consciousness future life deathpsychological aspects fear of death infobuy search for another book. Ben bradley ben bradley is associate professor of philosophy at syracuse university. The philosophy of death reader presents a collection of classic readings from across the centuries and the continents. His arguments for the immortality of the soul, though they did not convince, nevertheless compelled me to wonder if it was and to try to find out. Death has always been a major concern of humanity since the beginning of history, and finding the secret of immortality and escaping death has become the subject of many myths and ancient stories. Classic and contemporary essays consider such questions as the meaning of life, creating people, death, suicide.
Phenomena which commonly bring about death include aging, predation, poisoning, malnutrition, disease, suicide, homicide, drug intoxication, starvation, dehydration, and accidents or major trauma resulting in fatal injury. Afterlife is the continuation of existence after death, regardless of whether or not that continuation is indefinite. By immortality we mean that the soul, an immaterial entity distinct from the body, will survive separation from the body at death and is indestructible. Since the question specifies it can be fictional work.
January 31, 2011 bernard schumacher, death and mortality in contemporary philosophy, cambridge university press, 2010, 258pp. This book covers the ancient history of the near east, and the origins of the abrahamic tradition of. Alex longs thoughtful and wideranging new book is devoted to exploring ancient greek conceptions of immortality and human immortalization. In common parlance, immortality is virtually indistinguishable from afterlife, but philosophically speaking, they are not identical. Apr 10, 2017 luc bovens, the value of hope, philosophy and phenomenological research, 1999.
Among philosophers who have addressed the subject of death, heidegger addressed not only immortality and life after death but also the nature of. Pdf a matter of life and death in socratic philosophy. After a decade studying and teaching philosophy, he received his phd in metaphysics from cambridge university. A collection of seminal articles investigating whether death is bad for us and if so, whether immortality would be good for us. This new multicultural collection covers all the major themes in the philosophy of death from classical antiquity to the contemporary period. Death and philosophy considers these questions with different perspectives varying from the existentialist deriving from camus, heidegger or sartre, to the english speaking analytic tradition of bernard williams or thomas nagel. Immortality is the indefinite continuation of a persons existence, even after death. In death and mortality in contemporary philosophy, bernard schumacher discusses the contemporary philosophical literature on the definition of human personal death in part one knowledge of mortality and of human personal death part two. In this thoughtprovoking book, philosophy professor shelly kagan examines the myriad questions that arise when we confront the meaning of mortality. Death, immortality, and meaning in life by john martin fischer. David ronnegard, an atheist in a foxhole, philosophy now, 2017. In summary, longs book breaks new ground as a philosophical study of ancient views towards immortality and death.
Jun 19, 2019 in length, structure, and substance, this is the best book currently available on these subjects. Pdf death and immortality download full pdf book download. Death and immortality in ancient philosophy bookshare. Death, immortality, and meaning in life john martin fischer. Its engaging and accessible narrative is clearly organized into ten chapters that address meaning. There are surprisingly few sustained scholarly treatments of death and immortality in ancient. The scandal created by portrayal of christianity as an egoistic and inhumane religion cost the young hegelian his job and, to some extent, his career. A video and slides of a talk for buffalo state freethinkers based on the paper death, nothingness, and subjectivity. Death, immortality, and meaning in life fdmntls philos. Death is the cessation of all biological functions that sustain a living organism. The most recent addition to the fundamentals of philosophy series, john martin fischers death, immortality, and meaning in life offers a brief yet indepth introduction to the key philosophical issues and problems concerning death and immortality. In life, death, and meaning, david benatar offers a distinctive collection of readings designed to introduce undergraduates and lay readers to the key existential questions of philosophy. Apr 21, 2018 it might seem obvious that immortality would be good, but many have questioned this, including bernard williams who famously argued that unending life would eventually become unbearable due to the. It is successful in highlighting certain differences in outlook and motivation between ancient and modern thinkers, and it contains many perceptive and challenging individual readings of often familiar texts.
The denial of death is a 1973 work of psychology and philosophy by the cultural anthropologist ernest becker, in which the author builds on the works of soren kierkegaard, sigmund freud, norman o. Cambridge core theology death and immortality in ancient philosophy by a. A philosophy course by shelly kagan, death and mortality in contemporary philosophy by bernard n. Death and immortality in ancient philosophy book, 2019. A philosophical study of nature and value of death.