Death and Dying

This chapter defends a legal human right to tobacco control. Building on existing work, the chapter argues that the legal case for such a right is strong. Existing international human rights treaties, chiefly the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, recognize a human right to health alongside several other rights that speak for covering tobacco control under human rights law. Drawing on Allen Buchanan’s pluralistic justificatory framework for human rights, the chapter argues that the philosophical case is strong (...) too. Tobacco is among the deadliest public health threats worldwide and its health impacts so severe that humans should have a claim against their governments to protect them against the harms of tobacco. Human rights law is a promising avenue to strengthen this claim. The chapter then defends a human right to tobacco control against several philosophical worries. For example, is strong tobacco control compatible with personal freedom? Is it compatible with personal consent? Would human rights legislation facilitate power relations that unduly restrict national and individual self-determination? This chapter argues that concerns with freedom of choice, consent and power relations do not speak against tobacco control. Conversely, a concern with power relations speaks for a human right to tobacco control as it could lessen the power asymmetries between tobacco companies and vulnerable populations, such as children, smokers of lower socio-economic status and citizens in low-income countries with weaker governance structures. (shrink)

Psychopaths exhibit diminished ability to grieve. Here I address whether this inability can be explained by the trademark feature of psychopaths, namely, their diminished capacity for interpersonal empathy. I argue that this hypothesis turns out to be correct, but requires that we conceptualize empathy not merely as an ability to relate (emotionally and ethically) to other individuals but also as an ability to relate to past and present iterations of ourselves. This reconceptualization accords well with evidence regarding psychopaths’ intense focus (...) on the temporal present and difficulties in engaging in mental time travel, as well as with the essentially egocentric and identity-based nature of grief. -/- . (shrink)

The essays in this volume share an ambitious interest in investigating death as an individual, social, and metaphorical phenomenon that may be exemplified by themes involving burial rituals, identity, and commemoration. The disciplines represented are as diverse as art history, classics, history, music, languages and literatures, and the approaches taken reflect various aspects of contemporary death studies.

A unique take on death and bereavement without a belief in God or an afterlife Accepting death is never easy, but we don't need religion to find peace, comfort, and solace in the face of death. In this inspiring and life-affirming collection of short essays, prominent atheist author Greta Christina offers secular ways to handle your own mortality and the death of those you love.

"Philosophieren heißt, Sterben lernen!" - Das antike Ideal des Weisen von Sokrates und Seneca bis hin zu Montaigne stellt uns vor die Frage, ob in der Sterblichkeit des Menschen ein Anlaß zur Hoffnung liegt oder nicht eher zur Resignation. Mit der Geburt ist alles Lebendige unterwegs zu seinem Tod. Der Tod scheint daher auch für den Menschen sein natürliches Ende zu sein. Die Rede vom "natürlichen Ende" läßt allerdings noch ungeklärt, ob das "Ende" als Aufhören oder als Vollendung zu denken (...) ist, und ob ein bloßes Aufhören des Lebens für den Menschen schon die Vollendung als Person sein kann. Bezeichnend für das besondere Verhältnis des Menschen zu seinem Tod ist seit den Anfängen der Philosophie die Frage nach der Unsterblichkeit der Geistseele. Josef Pieper hat ihr sein Buch "Tod und Unsterblichkeit" gewidmet. Die vorliegenden Beiträge nehmen den 50. Todestag von C. S. Lewis zum Anlaß, die philosophische Frage nach Leid und Tod neu zu durchdenken. (shrink)

The social and cultural changes of the last century have transformed death from an everyday fact to something hidden from view. Shifting between the practical and the theoretical, the professional and the intimate, the real and the fictitious, this collection of essays explores the continued power of death over our lives. It examines the idea and experience of death from an interdisciplinary perspective, including studies of changing burial customs throughout Europe; an account of a"dying party" in the Netherlands; examinations of (...) the fascination with violent death in crime fiction and the phenomenon of serial killer art; analyses of death and bereavement in poetry, fiction, and autobiography; and a look at audience reactions to depictions of death on screen. By studying and considering how death is thought about in the contemporary era, we might restore the natural place it has in our lives. (shrink)

All of the world's religions refer to death in some way. Everyone is somewhat familiar with stories about where we go or what happens to us after death. From an early age, we have all heard stories of heaven or hell or some other version of paradise. Many of us believed such stories, and a great number of us still do. When considering that such stories manage to persist in modern times, an age of science and logic, we can be (...) sure that death is an issue to which humans attach great importance. In a sense, the idea of an afterlife can be a great source of comfort to those whose death is imminent, as well as to their loved ones. Those who have led especially difficult lives can look forward to a more pleasant world, while those who have enjoyed happiness and abundance have the chance to experience more good fortune. To those left behind, the idea of an afterlife presents the chance to meet a loved one again. We may not be conscious of it, but such hopes and expectations stay with us throughout our lives. If such an afterlife does exist, then there is no reason to avoid or fear death. Moreover, if we believe that another life awaits us, then we would believe that we are only separated from our loved ones temporarily before being reunited with them later on. (shrink)

Every year, hundreds of patients in England die whilst waiting for a kidney transplant, and this is evidence that the current system of altruistic-based donation is not sufficient to address the shortage of kidneys available for transplant. To address this problem, we propose a monopsony system whereby kidney donors can opt-in to receive financial compensation, whilst still preserving the right of individuals to donate without receiving any compensation. A monopsony system describes a market structure where there is only one ‘buyer’—in (...) this case the National Health Service. By doing so, several hundred lives could be saved each year in England, wait times for a kidney transplant could be significantly reduced, and it would lessen the burden on dialysis services. Furthermore, compensation would help alleviate the common disincentives to living kidney donation, such as its potential associated health and psychological costs, and it would also help to increase awareness of living kidney donation. The proposed system would also result in significant cost savings that could then be redirected towards preventing kidney disease and reducing health disparities. While concerns about exploitation, coercion, and the ‘crowding out’ of altruistic donors exist, we believe that careful implementation can mitigate these issues. Therefore, we recommend piloting financial compensation for living kidney donors at a transplant centre in England. (shrink)

Die Frage nach der Bewertung des Todes und die Einordnung seiner Bedeutung für das Leben eines Menschen gehört zu den ältesten existentiellen Fragen der Philosophie. In diesem philosophischen Versuch der Todesbewertung werden ausgehend von den Überzeugungen von Epikur und Aristoteles verschiedene schlechte und gute Facetten des Todes analysiert. Es zeigt sich, dass der Tod weder einseitig schlecht noch gut ist. Auch eine Mitbegutachtung des Werts des Lebens anhand verschiedener Bewertungstheorien vermag nicht zu einer eindeutigen Antwort auf die Frage nach dem (...) Wert des Todes zu führen. Daher stellt sich die Frage, ob es sich beim Tod nicht um ein für den Menschen unverständliches Paradoxon handeln könnte. Die Auseinandersetzung mit diesen metaphysischen Fragen aus dem Bereich der Thanatologie erfolgt in der Tradition der analytischen Philosophie"--Page 4 of cover. (shrink)

L'enfantement est-il le propre de la femme? Pourquoi n'y a-t-il qu'un seul sexe qui enfante? Les hommes ne pourraient-ils pas aussi enfanter? Est-il encore nécessaire d'en passer par le corps des femmes pour mettre au monde les enfants? La fin de l'enfantement se présente-t-elle comme une libération ou comme une aliénation des femmes? Serait-ce un progrès de s'en passer ou, au contraire, une perte sèche pour l'humanité? Une seule question semble toutes les contenir : quelle est la raison d'être de (...) l'enfantement? (shrink)

Philosophy of death particularly from an Indonesian perspective and quo vadis, microorganism culture in Indonesia.

Tod und Sterben werden häufig synonym verwendet. Historische Gründe werden dazu untersucht, wie auch gesellschaftliche. Wird Sterben als unerwünscht verdrängt oder als ein Hineingehen in den Tod durch die Angst vor dem Unbekannten als Teil des Lebens geleugnet? Kulturelle und philosophische Ansichten werden erläutert.

本书共66篇日记,每篇都围绕"死亡"这个永恒的命题展开,作者结合自己病中的所见所闻所思所感,从不同的视角和事件切入,深入探讨了一个个关于人性的优劣,关于心灵的成长,关于生命的意义等方方面面的问题.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be (...) preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant. (shrink)

This chapter reviews fundamental ethical controversy surrounding the ongoing effort to revise the Uniform Determination of Death Act in the United States. Instead of focusing on the process of the revision itself, the chapter explores the underlying ethical debate over brain death that has been ongoing for many decades and finally culminated in this revision. Three issues are focused: the requirement for consent and personal exemptions before applying brain death for the diagnosis of death; redefining the areas of the brain (...) that have ceased to function in the definition of brain death; and codifying the American Academy of Neurology as the authority to issue the standards of the diagnosis of brain death. The chapter concludes that allowing the personal choice of death determination gives a pragmatic compromise to the disputed definition and practice of diagnosing brain death. So long as all risks and imperfections of the diagnosis are accepted through the consenting process, there is nothing ethically objectionable to continuing the current practice of diagnosing brain death as a successful tool to facilitate heart-beating organ donation without violating the dead-donor rule. By contrast, precluding personal choice and imposing legal restrictions to consent and exemptions would further erode public trust. (shrink)

Book Review of Kevin Aho's One Beat More: Existentialism and the Gift of Mortality (Polity, 2022).

Космовидение - термин, под которым следует понимать совокупность оснований, из которых возникает системное понимание Вселенной, таких ее составляющих, как жизнь, мир, в котором мы живем, природа, феномен человека, и их взаимосвязей. таким образом, это область аналитической философии, питаемая науками, целью которой является совокупное и эпистемологически устойчивое знание обо всем, чем мы являемся и что в нас содержится, что нас окружает и что так или иначе с нами связано. это старое, как человеческая мысль, понятие, которое не только использует элементы научной космологии, (...) но и охватывает все, что относится к вселенной и жизни в философии и науке. Космовидение — это не набор идей, гипотез и предположений, а система, основанная на наблюдениях, анализе, доказательствах и демонстрациях. Космовидение не ставит своей целью определить, установить или предложить, а лишь понять, проанализировать и интерпретировать. Каждый из нас строит и переносит свое космовидение в течение жизни, не устанавливая форм, как фон для нашего мышления и поведения. С лингвистической точки зрения термин "космовидение" происходит от немецкого, эквивалентного понятию "Weltanschauung", используемому рядом философов. Однако эта лингвистическая связь неприменима, поскольку противоречит тому, что мы предлагаем в качестве космовидения. Это немецкое слово обозначает дологическое или протоэкспериментальное видение реальности, имеющее интуитивный контекст и далекое от критического знания, еще не существовавшего на момент его формулировки. Несомненно, космовидения в том смысле, как мы их понимаем, содержат и используют эти протоэкспериментальные или дологические элементы, включающие историю, коллективное бессознательное и все архетипы, которые мы носим в себе. Однако в той концепции, которую мы здесь применяем, космовидение выходит далеко за пределы этого содержания, во-первых, постоянно подчиняя его современному критическому мышлению и, наконец, делая аналитический опыт (а не саму мысль или интуицию) своей актуальной вселенной. Антониу Лопес раскрывает широту этого содержания: -/- "Космовидения не являются продуктом мысли. Они не возникают из простого желания знать. Постижение реальности - важный момент в ее конфигурации, но, тем не менее, только один. Оно исходит из жизненного поведения, из жизненного опыта, из структуры нашей психической совокупности. Возвышение жизни до сознания в познании реальности, в оценке жизни и в волевой реальности — это медленная и тяжелая работа, которую проделало человечество в развитии представлений о жизни". (В. Дильтей, 1992 [1911]: 120)". . В данной работе мы стремимся изложить космовидение, основанное на тех реалиях, которые сегодня предлагает наука. Мы ни в коем случае не собираемся заниматься наукой или теоретизировать философию, но всегда будем стремиться опираться на них или, по крайней мере, защищаться ими от тех когнитивных искажений, которые мы обычно несем. (shrink)

Préface, par P.R. Rosset.--Le sens biologique de la mort, par C. Favarger.--L'homme primitif devant la mort, par J. Gabus.--Mort et societé, par M. Erard.--A propos de la peine de mort, par F. Clerc.--Les poètes de la mort dans les lettres françaises, par C. Guyot.--Le philosophie moderne en face de la mort, par R. Schaerer.--La signification chrétienne de la mort, par P.H. Menoud.--La victoire chrétienne sur la mort, par P.H. Menoud.