Should we fear death because it is bad or not fear non-existence? According to Fred Feldman, death is bad for a person when it deprives that person of good things that would have happened if he had lived. John Doe died due to an accident he had with a trolley. Doe’s death is bad because of the near possible world, the deprivation approach, and his premature death. It’s also considered bad because we may love life. The first reason to why death may be bad is because of a near possible world. A near possible world is a scenario where John would still be alive. This is then compared to when he is dead and we calculate his welfare level for each world. The calculation is called D3. For example: Doe’s welfare level at death is at plus two-hundred. …show more content…
In the book, Some Puzzles About the Evil of Death, it states that, “According to the most popular anti-Epicurean view, death is bad for a person primarily because it deprives him of certain goods, the goods he would have enjoyed if he had not died (Feldman).” This is known as the deprivation approach. In this situation, Doe would be deprived of good things such as marriage, having kids, meeting his grandkids, and etc. This is bad for Doe because he won’t be able to experience this when he ceases to exist. Also, the deprivation approach is important because it changes our perspective. If we know that death is bad, then we want to have as much of these goods as possible. Taking away Doe’s goods is like imprisoning an innocent man it is morally wrong. I believe that the deprivation approach is important because it sides with Feldman’s argument. It is a key reason why we should fear death and be aware of what we will be missing out on. We should cherish every second of our lives if we know that we are deprived of these …show more content…
A premature death is bad at all times. In this case dying at a young age is bad. Premature death is bad due to the fact that he didn’t get to live long enough. Feldman gives an example of what he thinks. “The real tragedy here is not that he died exactly at t, or that he died as a result of being shot by Ivan; the real tragedy is that he died so young. Thus, P5 should be the focus of our attention (Feldman).” This scenario that occurred is similar to Doe’s death. It was a misfortune that he died relatively young. We should look at p5 and compare that with world five His welfare level would have been higher in world five and this is why premature death may be bad. He could have lived a long and happy life if he didn’t die
Death. Only two things are certain in life, death, and taxes. As the Human condition is concerned death is directly related to mortality. Mortality is in a sense the focus of all human existence. In most cases, the human mind inadvertently neglects this concept. In the true depth of mortality is hidden behind a shroud of humor. In the inquisitive, the brain creates a logical fallacy to cope with the concept. The basis of the human condition is mortality. The main points of the human condition are birth, growth, emotionality, aspiration, conflict, and mortality. Birth, growth, and aspiration all stem from the concept of mortality.
In Thomas Nagel's Death, Nagel concludes that death does not have to be a bad thing. Nagel defines death as permanently being the end of something or someone and plainly drawing a blank. This then presents the question of whether death is to be considered a bad thing or not. By introducing the subject by multiple viewpoints, Nagel attempts to attack the issues he presents in efforts to make his conclusion seem most reasonable.
...ow point drives him to consider death as an alternative to suffering. This chapter helps to highlight some present day themes about the ethical issues of euthanasia such as the difference between active and passive euthanasia. Also whether or not a medical professional should assist in the process and under what circumstances. Discussion about euthanasia will probably continue in the future. This character brings some of the issues to light.
“If death is an evil at all, it cannot be because of its positive features, but only because of what it deprives us of.” (p. 113)
In accordance with the prevailing assumption that there is something that is bad about death, Nagel argues that death is bad for the person who is dead. Nagel argues that death is an evil, not in and of itself, but by virtue of comparison. In contrast with intrinsically bad evils such as pain and even intrinsic goods such as life, death is an evil by virtue of opportunity costs—it is an evil in that it is the deprivation of life. Nagel emphasizes this distinction between intrinsic evils and comparative evils perhaps in anticipation of the objection that only things that give you unpleasant experiences can harm you. Nagel’s deprivation account of death inherently addresses the experientialist concern in the former half of the first objection by suggesting that it is the taking away of life that makes death evil. Nagel’s account suggests that the experientialists’ categorization of goods and evils are insufficient in accounting for other types of goods and evils, including comparative goods and evils such as “damage, deprivation and death” (page). Nagel emphasizes that there is nothing intrinsically bad about death because there is nothing evil about the state of being dead or nonexistent; rather, the evil of death lies in the counter-factuality of
1. I think it does make sense to fear death because death is "unknown". I think it's natural for a person to fear something that is unknown until they have experienced the unknown. For example, if a person feared rollercoasters because they are scared of heights. That individual has the option of experiencing different roller coasters to determine if being scared of heights really plays a factor in fearing rollercoasters. Death doesn't have that option. There is no way of experiencing death and coming back to life. Once death occurs, you can only experience after death, which his also unknown. There are too many unknown factors surrounding death. In life, everything is known because you have the option of experiencing. Nagel's argument basically states that death is harmful
Death is part of the circle of life and it's the end of your time on earth; the end of your time with your family and loved ones. Nobody wants to die, leaving their family and missing the good times your loved ones will have once you pass on. In the Mercury Reader, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross “On the Fear of Death” and Joan Didion “Afterlife” from The Year of Magical Thinking” both share common theses on death and grieving. Didion and Kübler-Ross both explain grieving and dealing with death. Steve Jobs commencement speech for Stanford’s graduation ceremony and through personal experience jumps further into death and how I feel about it. Your time is on earth is limited one day you will die and there are many ways of grieving at the death of a loved one. I believe that the fear of death and the death of a loved one will hold you back from living your own life and the fear of your own death is selfish.
Presently, many cases of euthanasia had occurred around the world. Many a time we will stop and ask whether the person has anymore hope to live as a normal person. At the end it is left to the court to decide whether the people live or die. But why does the patient or the guardian choose euthanasia when they can live a longer time with their loved ones. Some might ask whether it is worth to see your loved ones suffering, wouldn’t it be better to end the suffering? To answer this question we must know what euthanasia means. According to Fergusson(1992) euthanasia which comes from the Greek word ‘eu-thanatos’ which means “well death” or “good death”(Fergusson, A. 1992). Besides that according to the oxford dictionary sixth edition (1986) the definition of euthanasia is to” bring about gentle death especially in the case of incurable and painful disease”. According to the Journal of the Americans Medical Association (as cited in BBC,n.d) there are more than one way of defining good death(BBC,n.d). This means that good death is define according to one personal view of euthanasia or when he is in a situation that is critical to his health. Some people want to die a death that involves less pain. According to BBC(n.d) voluntary euthanasia happens when voluntary death is define as the request for mercy killing is done (BBC,n.d). According to BBC(n.d) non-voluntary euthanasia happens when the patient is unconscious(BBC,n.d).
If one fears death, then one claims to know that death is not the greatest of all blessings for man.
In Thomas Nagel’s “Death,” he questions whether death is a bad thing, if it is assumed that death is the permanent end of our existence. Besides addressing whether death is a bad thing, Nagel focuses on whether or not it is something that people should be fearful of. He also explores whether death is evil. Death is defined as permanent death, without any form of consciousness, while evil is defined as the deprivation of some quality or characteristic. In his conclusion, he reaffirms that conscious existence ends at death and that there is no subject to experience death and death ultimately deprives a person of life. Therefore, he states that Death actually deprives a person of conscious existence and the ability to experience. The ability to experience is open ended and future oriented. If a person cannot permanently experience in the future, it is a bad or an evil. A person is harmed by deprivation. Finally, he claims that death is an evil and a person is harmed even though the person does not experience the harm.
Many people seem to fear death, but philosophers such as Socrates and Epicurus would argue that one has no reason to fear it. Socrates sees death as a blessing to be wished for if death is either nothingness or a relocation of the soul, whereas Epicurus argues that one shouldn't worry themselves about death since, once we are gone, death is annihilation which is neither good nor bad. Epicurus believes that death itself is a total lack of perception, wherein there is no pleasure or pain. I agree with Epicurus because Socrates doesn't give a sound argument for death as a blessing, whereas Epicurus' argument is cogent. I would also argue personally that death is not something to be feared because, like Epicurus, I see no sufficient evidence showing we even exist after death.
The concept of human mortality and how it is dealt with is dependent upon one’s society or culture. For it is the society that has great impact on the individual’s beliefs. Hence, it is also possible for other cultures to influence the people of a different culture on such comprehensions. The primary and traditional way men and women have made dying a less depressing and disturbing idea is though religion. Various religions offer the comforting conception of death as a begining for another life or perhaps a continuation for the former.
I would say that this theory would say that it would be okay to let them die, but only if it benefits them. It wouldn’t be okay if it didn’t. “The theory is related to the ethical insight that an action is morally bad if it harms someone, whereas it is morally good if it helps or benefits someone” (Pg. 40, Introduction to Ethical Theory). If someone was to want to die because they had an illness that was going to kill them to where they had no chance at curing it, then it would benefit them from pain and suffering. If they had no illness where they were going to die and still wanted to, this theory would say that it would be wrong. My last theory is a deontological theory.
Socrates states, “death may not in fact prove the greatest of all blessings for mankind; but people fear it as if they knew it for certain to be the greatest of evil”. I agree with Socrates that we don’t know what death is, and it is possible for death to be a good thing. There is not a definite answer to what death feels like or what happens after you die. Even when we ask people about death, we are going to get infinite ideas about death. If we do not know about death then why fear something we do not know. We also cannot decide whether death is actually considered “evil”. There are many circumstances that people may think that it is better for a person to die than to live. In medical practices there is term known as euthanasia, which is intentionally ending a life in order to relive pain or medical assisted suicide. We cannot determine whether it is a bad for a person to die because this may actually end their
Death is something that causes fear in many peoples lives. People will typically try to avoid the conversation of death at all cost. The word itself tends to freak people out. The thought of death is far beyond any living person’s grasp. When people that are living think about the concept of death, their minds go to many different places. Death is a thing that causes pain in peoples lives, but can also be a blessing.