Death

by Shelly Kagan

• ISBN13: 9780300180848
• ISBN10: 0300180845
• Edition: Original
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2012-05-15
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

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? 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 badfor me? Would immortality be desirable? Is fear of death appropriate? Is suicide ever justified? How should I livein 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 conditionthe fact that we will die.

Author Biography

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	p. ix
Thinking about Death	p. 1
Dualism versus Physicalism	p. 6
Arguments for the Existence of the Soul	p. 24
Descartes' Argument	p. 57
Plato the Immortality of the Soul	p. 69
Personal Identity	p. 98
Choosing between the Theories	p. 132
The Nature of Death	p. 170
Two Surprising Claims about Death	p. 186
The Badness of Death	p. 205
Immortality	p. 234
The Value of Life	p. 247
Other Aspects of Death	p. 264
Living in the Face of Death	p. 282
Suicide	p. 318
Conclusion: An Invitation	p. 362
Notes	p. 365
Suggestions for Further Reading	p. 369
Index	p. 371
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