Annihilation : the sense and significance of death

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Title:

Author:

Belshaw, Christopher.

ISBN:

9781844651351

9781844651344

Personal Author:

Belshaw, Christopher.

Publication Information:

Stocksfield, England : Acumen Pub, 2009.

Physical Description:

xii, 258 p. ; 24 cm.

Abstract:

"A very good book. It addresses many of the most interesting and important philosophical issues concerning death, is well-informed by the relevant literature, and offers Belshaw's distinctive and suggestive views on a range of issues. Belshaw offers a nice combination of philosophical rigour and a crisp, accessible writing style that should give the book a broad appeal." - John Fischer, Professor of Philosophy, University of California, Riverside and editor of The Metaphysics of Death".

Subject Term:

Death.

Immortality (Philosophy)

Zin (filosofie)

Philosophie

Copies:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Copy	Status
Searching... 1:IIEMSA	1:GEN-BOOK	33168025447364	128.5 B452A 2009	1	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

The ever-present possibility of death forces upon us the question of life's meaning and for this reason death has been a central concern of philosophers throughout history. From Socrates to Heidegger, philosophers have grappled with the nature and significance of death. In "Annihilation", Christopher Belshaw explores two central questions at the heart of philosophy's engagement with death: what is death; and is it bad that we die? Belshaw begins by distinguishing between literal and metaphorical uses of the term and offers a unified and biological account of death, denying that death brings about non-existence. How our death relates to the death of the brain is explored in detail. Belshaw considers the common-sense view that death is often bad for us by examining the circumstances that might make it bad as well as the grounds for thinking that one death can be worse than another. In addition, Belshaw explores whether we can be harmed after we die and before we were born. The final chapters explore whether we should prevent more deaths and whether, via cryonics, brain transplants, data storage, we might cheat death. Throughout Belshaw shows how questions of personhood and life's value are bound up with our views on the sense and significance of death. "Annihilation's" in-depth analysis and insightful exposition will be welcomed not only by philosophers working on the metaphysics of death but also by students and scholars alike looking for a foundation for discussions of the ethics of abortion, euthanasia, life-support and suicide.