Death

by Shelly Kagan

Overview

There is one thing we can be sure of: we are all going to die. But once we accept that fact, the questions begin. In this thought-provoking book, philosophy professor Shelly Kagan examines the myriad questions that arise when we confront the meaning of mortality. Do we have reason to believe in the existence of immortal souls? Or should we accept an account according to which people are just material objects, nothing more? Can we make sense of the idea of surviving the death of one’s body? If I won’t exist after I die, can death truly be bad for me? Would immortality be desirable? Is fear of death appropriate? Is suicide ever justified? How should I live in the face of death.
 
Written in an informal and conversational style, this stimulating and provocative book challenges many widely held views about death, as it invites the reader to take a fresh look at one of the central features of the human condition—the fact that we will die.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300180848
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	05/15/2012
Series:	The Open Yale Courses Series
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	392
Sales rank:	525,123
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.20(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Shelly Kagan is Clark Professor of Philosophy, Yale University. He is the author of Normative Ethics and The Limits of Morality. He lives in Hamden, CT.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

1 Thinking about Death 1

2 Dualism versus Physicalism 6

3 Arguments for the Existence of the Soul 24

4 Descartes' Argument 57

5 Plato the Immortality of the Soul 69

6 Personal Identity 98

7 Choosing between the Theories 132

8 The Nature of Death 170

9 Two Surprising Claims about Death 186

10 The Badness of Death 205

11 Immortality 234

12 The Value of Life 247

13 Other Aspects of Death 264

14 Living in the Face of Death 282

15 Suicide 318

16 Conclusion: An Invitation 362

Notes 365

Suggestions for Further Reading 369

Index 371