Analysis Of Death In 'Letter To Menoceus'

People often spend their whole lives worrying about death, which raises the question: should death be feared? Philosophers and scholars and laymen alike all have pondered this question, all reaching different answers. Each religion has its own thoughts on death and the after life, and each individual has their own personal beliefs on the matter. Epicurus in his “Letter to Menoceus” argues that death shouldn 't be feared, or even thought of; I am going to attempt to prove the opposite. Death is a reality that shouldn 't be ignored and soon I will explain my reasons why. First, I’ll analyze one of the arguments made by Epicurus in support of his claim that death shouldn 't be feared. Epicurus starts his argument by saying that all that is good and evil occurs through human sensations. Following that, he claims that death is the absence of sensation. His belief is that when a person dies, their soul, their very being stops existing. Epicurus reasons that humans beings, made up of atoms, will die and all the atoms -the things that make up man- will simply return the universe. According to Epicurus’s belief, these atoms are just borrowed goods which must be returned, and with the separation of our atoms, goes our very being. Another argument presented by Epicurus in his letter develops his previous argument more. He believes

Being that there is more than this one life, the actions someone does in it will have consequences reflected in the afterlife. People attempt to live and act justly in order to achieve a positive outcome in the afterlife. The thought of life after death, of an immortal soul, is the impetus for people to act a certain way. A person’s belief about what happens after death often is reflected in how they live their life, some living their life with ease and contentment, others in