Philosophy Stack Exchange
Philosophy Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [death]

Usually a physical death: permanent state after the end of life, where all vital functions stop. Sometimes in a different context, e.g. spiritual death

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Why do atheist euthanasia proponents consider nothingness preferable to suffering?

I have heard some atheists support euthanasia, on the grounds that death is preferable to agony. But I don't understand this; if there is no afterlife, death isn't a relief. It's true nothingness, the deceased won't experience painlessness, they…
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What are some criticisms of Epicurus' "death is nothing to us"?

Epicurus famously asserted that death should not be feared, with roughly the following argument: When we die, we no longer exist; Since we no longer exist, we can feel neither pain nor pleasure. Rather, we simple "are not"; Therefore, there is…
commando
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Is willful ignorance about one's own mortality escapism?

I don't mean if someone is dying of cancer and they refuse treatment or something -- I'm saying if a healthy person who is unhappy obsessing over his own inevitable death one day chooses to ignore this in order to relax and be happy, is this…
sangstar
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The "point" to an Atheists existence

I've recently become Atheist (I am 45). I've slowly transitioned from my childhood's strong Christian upbringing; through Agnostic; to the point where my rational brain has now extrapolated the ridiculousness of Organized Religion to see all…
Rodney Nim
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What is the motivation of all individuals to stay alive?

What keeps an individual alive? If we make the following assumptions: There is nothing after death, only black. No heaven, no hell, no rebirth. So we don't take anything with us after death and therefore don't remember our life Life includes…
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Does the focus on "humane" killing of animals distract from the real moral problem of killing?

"Humane" in respect to killing animals means to minimize the animal's pain as they die. But this seems to completely sidestep the moral issue with killing, which has nothing to do with the pain. Given the choice: A. Suffer severe, intense pain for a…
causative
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Is there an ethical basis for killing less intelligent animals (as food) but not killing animals of higher intelligence?

I'd like to know whether morally there would be a difference between killing/hunting animals of higher intellect (apart from humans) and animals generally regarded of lower intellect. If there is no difference, why do some people object to…
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What is the main message Kierkegaard is trying to deliver in his suicidal quote?

In his journal Kierkegaard wrote: I have just now come from a party where I was its life and soul; witticisms streamed from my lips, everyone laughed and admired me, but I went away — yes, the dash should be as long as the radius of the earth's…
HaneenSu
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Do animals know that they are going to die?

This is maybe the wrong website for this type of question, but I'll try it anyway. I've somehow experienced this patterns mostly in cats (not scientifically proven, but pretty common also talking to other people): sometimes cats or dogs feel pain…
Shoe
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Which philosophers have posited that our mortality gives meaning to our lives?

Cancer researcher, Doctor John Wynn gave an interesting talk this year. In it he argues, in short, that it is the fact of our mortality that gives our lives meaning. Which philosophers have discussed this notion, and what conclusions have they come…
CouncilScribe
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Which authors have discussed death in philosophy?

Could anyone point me to some authors who have discussed the ideas surrounding death in western Philosophy? (Not whether we know we exist but rather the concept of mortality and immortality).
Chris S
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How can I know that I am not immortal?

You think that you will die just because everyone dies. And you would like to know if you are immortal. How can you know if you are immortal or not?
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Is life the root cause of all suffering?

According to Buddhism, "There is suffering in this world; suffering has a cause; and the cause is desire." So, the desire to stay alive, forces us to work which causes suffering in the form of depression. Does this mean that life is the root cause…
Agnibho Dutta
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How is knowing that I am going to die influencing my life?

Does the fact that I know I am going to die make me superior in a sense to all the other living creatures that have no understanding of this event? Is the fact that I know that one day I am going to die a good thing for me? One could argue that…
Cristian
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What happens to consciousness after death?

Is it possible that our innate sense of self, our egocentric outlook on the world, could be wrong? After all, our brains are never REALLY connected; so we cannot know for sure that our consciousness is REALLY separated by anything else than space…
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