Today’s presentation will be a Hybrid meeting with online and in-person options.
Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/971381033
Join us in-person at The 519, 519 Church Street, Rm 301

“Dealing with Death”
Presented by Richard Dowsett

Death can be viewed as the defining characteristic of our existence. While birth happens completely without our consent or input and prior to our ability to form conscious thought, death can be contemplated and considered throughout our existence and finally, experienced, prepared for and even consented to. It is also inescapable by any physical or rational means.

There are, of course, as many religious conceptions of death as there are religious philosophies. We can speak of those as a counterpoint to our own secular philosophies but they would be central to other discussions outside the Humanist perspective.

Beyond religions, there are still many secular conceptions of death to choose from including Existentialism, Absurdism, Nihilism and Humanism with significant thinkers such as Sartre, Camus, Heidegger, Nitzsche and Russell

There have been many thinkers who have tried to understand the human response to our mortal condition and have written on these at length. One is Ernest Becker. In his 1973 work "The Denial of Death", Becker argues that the fear of death is a fundamental source of human anxiety, driving much of our behavior, culture, and psychological mechanisms. Becker posits that the awareness of our inevitable death is a deeply disturbing realization for humans. To cope with this existential terror, we engage in various forms of denial, which shape our behaviors, beliefs, and cultures. The ideas from "The Denial of Death" formed much of the basis of Terror Management Theory.

Questions:

1.       How much do you think about death? 

2.       How are thoughts about death different from contemplation of the dying process?

3.       What emotions accompany your thoughts of death and why?

4.       What is your biggest death fear?

5.       How does death motivate you? 

6.       If you don’t think about death, why do you think you don’t? 

7.       Becker explains that cultures provide symbolic systems, like religion, nationalism, or art, that give people a sense of meaning and immortality. How has your culture helped you deal with death?

8.       Is there a piece of art, music, literature that has shaped your thoughts of death? 

9.       According to Camus the problem of absurdity arises from the conflict between human beings' innate desire for meaning, order, and purpose in life and the indifferent, chaotic, and ultimately meaningless universe. Does death create this innate desire for meaning? How do you counter the problem of absurdity?

10.  Is there a particular philosophy or philosopher of death you relate to? 

11.  Is having meaning and purpose important to you? Can you share your meaning or purpose?

12.  Is there a particular philosophy or philosopher of death you relate to?