New Philosopher – July 2019

NewPhilosopher

Death

TheEpistemologist TheWriter TheEthicist

The fear of death is very puzzling, in

a way that regret about the end of life

is not. It’s easy to understand that we

might want to have more life, more of

the things it contains, so that we see

death as a negative evil. But how can

the prospect of your own non-exist-

ence be alarming in a positive way? If

we really cease to exist at death, there’s

nothing to look forward to, so how can

there be anything to be afraid of? If

one thinks about it logically, it seems

as though death should be something

to be afraid of only if we will survive it,

and perhaps undergo some terrifying

transformation. But that doesn’t pre-

vent many people from thinking that

annihilation is one of the worst things

that could happen to them.

Time is thorough in his work, and as

that arch-cheat, Hope, gradually be-

comes a phantom of the past, the neck

will become inured to its yoke. Tonight

is one of the times when the littleness

• the abject littleness – of all things in
  life comes home to me. After all, what
  is there in vain ambition? King or slave,
  we all must die, and when death knocks
  at our door, will it matter whether our
  life has been great or small, fast or slow,
  so long as it has been true – true with
  the truth that will bring rest to the soul.
  ... To weary hearts throbbing slowly in
  hopeless breasts the sweetest thing is
  rest. And my heart is weary. Oh, how
  it aches tonight – not with the ache of
  a young heart passionately crying out
  for battle, but with the slow dead ache
  of an old heart returning vanquished
  and defeated!

It is written that the last enemy to be

vanquished is death. We should begin

early in life to vanquish this enemy by

obliterating every trace of the fear of

death from our minds. Then can we

turn to life and fill the whole horizon of

our souls with it, turn with added zest

to all the serious tasks which it imposes

and to the pure delights which here and

there it affords. ... Let us learn from the

lips of death the lessons of life. Let us

live truly while we live, live for what is

true and good and lasting. And let the

memory of our dead help us to do this.

For they are not wholly separated from

us, if we remain loyal to them. In spirit

they are with us. And we may think of

them as silent, invisible, but real pres-

ences in our households. ... The bitter,

yet merciful, lesson which death teaches

us is to distinguish the gold from the

tinsel, the true values from the worth-

less chaff.

Thomas Nagel
1937-present

Miles Franklin

1879-1954

Felix Adler

1851-1933

Six thinkers

A negative evil Rest to the soul Memory of our dead