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I posted this in Philosophy because I wanted to know how the greatest minds have thought about mortality, not to process a life event. For example, I often hear the cliche that death gives life structure and meaning, but would like to hear that idea fleshed out more in a book. Things like NDE and LAD are kind of beside the point.
I'm currently reading a book by an Israeli philosophy professor called 'Finding Meaning In An Imperfect World'. There are two chapters that wrestle with the implications of death for the meaning/meaninglessness of life. The author entertains both the possibility of death being 'final' and also the possibility of an afterlife, though he pokes holes in some common religious conceptions of the afterlife. I'm currently on the second of the two chapters that focus on death; as an atheist who ultimately identifies as a nihilist, I don't agree with a few of his arguments (including his foundational definition of 'meaning in life', which he frames as more of a subjective feeling of worth/value rather than sincerely tackling the question of whether the entire universe is purposeless), but I find the book well-intentioned and somewhat rigorous in argumentation yet still quite readable. He employs plenty of analogies, some of which I find to be more pertinent than others. I think I've appreciated his literary analysis (of Tolstoy and Voltaire, among others) as much as anything I've so far encountered in the book
This book may not be exactly what you're looking for, but, 90 pages in, I feel confident recommending it nonetheless.
I don't know if this is what you are looking for, but someone whose intelligence I respect read this and said it was worthy. I might get it on Audible now that I've been reminded.
How We Die: Reflections on Life's Final Chapter, New Edition (National Book Award Winner) https://a.co/d/0mougX2
I'm currently reading a book by an Israeli philosophy professor called 'Finding Meaning In An Imperfect World'. There are two chapters that wrestle with the implications of death for the meaning/meaninglessness of life. The author entertains both the possibility of death being 'final' and also the possibility of an afterlife, though he pokes holes in some common religious conceptions of the afterlife. I'm currently on the second of the two chapters that focus on death; as an atheist who ultimately identifies as a nihilist, I don't agree with a few of his arguments (including his foundational definition of 'meaning in life', which he frames as more of a subjective feeling of worth/value rather than sincerely tackling the question of whether the entire universe is purposeless), but I find the book well-intentioned and somewhat rigorous in argumentation yet still quite readable. He employs plenty of analogies, some of which I find to be more pertinent than others. I think I've appreciated his literary analysis (of Tolstoy and Voltaire, among others) as much as anything I've so far encountered in the book
This book may not be exactly what you're looking for, but, 90 pages in, I feel confident recommending it nonetheless.
Are you looking at a philosophical book on dying? Honestly, if you don't have an after death belied (and I don't either), then I can't see how a book is going to help. How about volunteering in a hospice and actually being w/ people who are dying? Unless we decide to ck out ourselves, and there are books on that subject, the hour of our death is unknowable, as is the manner in which it happens. I'm a Zen practitioner and there are no beliefs of any kind in Zen, after death or otherwise. Alan Watts wrote some stuff on death coming from more of a Zen or Tao perspective, which focuses on the impermanence of all things.
Life, love, our loved ones, our house, all things are impermanent. They come into existence, they exist for a while in a particular form, and then they cease to exist in that form. They transform into base elements and return to the earth. A leaf falls off a tree and sits on the ground. It rains, the sun shines, time passes and it mutates into its base elements and sinks into the earth, where it is picked up into the tree's roots and another leaf comes into existence. It's the cycle of life.
I think the best way to deal w/ this subject is by having a great life. Years ago a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle asked people on the streets "Are you doing what you want to do with your life?" There were various answers, but the one that has stuck w/ me for 40 years was "Of course I am! What do you think this is, a trial run? This it!" To me, that's the right attitude to have. Do everything you can to live life fully so there are no regrets when the time comes to die.
There is also something called Death Cafe where people get together to discuss this subject. You can easily find it w/ a google search, but I didn't find it to be of much help when I went to a couple of them.
Last edited by stephenMM; 12-31-2023 at 06:57 AM..
Are you looking at a philosophical book on dying? Honestly, if you don't have an after death belied (and I don't either), then I can't see how a book is going to help. How about volunteering in a hospice and actually being w/ people who are dying? Unless we decide to ck out ourselves, and there are books on that subject, the hour of our death is unknowable, as is the manner in which it happens. I'm a Zen practitioner and there are no beliefs of any kind in Zen, after death or otherwise. Alan Watts wrote some stuff on death coming from more of a Zen or Tao perspective, which focuses on the impermanence of all things.
Life, love, our loved ones, our house, all things are impermanent. They come into existence, they exist for a while in a particular form, and then they cease to exist in that form. They transform into base elements and return to the earth. A leaf falls off a tree and sits on the ground. It rains, the sun shines, time passes and it mutates into its base elements and sinks into the earth, where it is picked up into the tree's roots and another leaf comes into existence. It's the cycle of life.
I think the best way to deal w/ this subject is by having a great life. Years ago a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle asked people on the streets "Are you doing what you want to do with your life?" There were various answers, but the one that has stuck w/ me for 40 years was "Of course I am! What do you think this is, a trial run? This it!" To me, that's the right attitude to have. Do everything you can to live life fully so there are no regrets when the time comes to die.
There is also something called Death Cafe where people get together to discuss this subject. You can easily find it w/ a google search, but I didn't find it to be of much help when I went to a couple of them.
Philosopher Shelly Kagan taught a course at Yale on death and associated issues, and these courses (at least a semester's worth of them) were available for free viewing online. I watched one and did not feel compelled to watch another.
My only real causes here would be that suicide and euthanasia should both be destigmatized. Life is meaningless and people should be able to check out whenever they want.
Are you looking at a philosophical book on dying? Honestly, if you don't have an after death belied (and I don't either), then I can't see how a book is going to help. How about volunteering in a hospice and actually being w/ people who are dying? Unless we decide to ck out ourselves, and there are books on that subject, the hour of our death is unknowable, as is the manner in which it happens. I'm a Zen practitioner and there are no beliefs of any kind in Zen, after death or otherwise. Alan Watts wrote some stuff on death coming from more of a Zen or Tao perspective, which focuses on the impermanence of all things.
Life, love, our loved ones, our house, all things are impermanent. They come into existence, they exist for a while in a particular form, and then they cease to exist in that form. They transform into base elements and return to the earth. A leaf falls off a tree and sits on the ground. It rains, the sun shines, time passes and it mutates into its base elements and sinks into the earth, where it is picked up into the tree's roots and another leaf comes into existence. It's the cycle of life.
I think the best way to deal w/ this subject is by having a great life. Years ago a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle asked people on the streets "Are you doing what you want to do with your life?" There were various answers, but the one that has stuck w/ me for 40 years was "Of course I am! What do you think this is, a trial run? This it!" To me, that's the right attitude to have. Do everything you can to live life fully so there are no regrets when the time comes to die.
There is also something called Death Cafe where people get together to discuss this subject. You can easily find it w/ a google search, but I didn't find it to be of much help when I went to a couple of them.
I'll check out Death Cafe. Sounds like a good idea but I have a feeling that it's going to be mostly attended by health care professionals. I'll say it again that I'm not expecting a death event in my life, but instead wanted to use contemplations on death to find meaning for life. I am familiar with Buddhist ideas on impermanence and don't think that it helps one find answers in how to find meaning in life.
I'll check out Death Cafe. Sounds like a good idea but I have a feeling that it's going to be mostly attended by health care professionals. I'll say it again that I'm not expecting a death event in my life, but instead wanted to use contemplations on death to find meaning for life. I am familiar with Buddhist ideas on impermanence and don't think that it helps one find answers in how to find meaning in life.
This one's a little outside of the box, but for years I was co-moderator of the Mitchell Heisman Facebook page. Heisman was 'just a guy', had an undergraduate degree, was probably on the autism spectrum, and he wrote a 1900-page suicide note that he deemed 'an experiment in nihilism' before killing himself on the Harvard campus 10+ years ago. I helped orchestrate the efforts to keep his 'note'/book freely available online after the original hosting site took it down. The book/note/treatise/etc is not necessarily very readable or even recommendable in sections, as he combines rigorous scholarship with freely indulged speculation and prejudice, but I recommend taking a look. It's original and courageous, and exemplary of what I wish every human would do--write a substantial reflection on whether or not life is worth living, and act accordingly. Suicide is partially taboo because of religious influence but even more frowned upon because it violates our innate genetically driven/determined 'moral code'. It takes exceptional people to override the combined taboo/aversion as he did, though more often, it takes sadly desperate, despair-laden individuals. I don't necessarily think voluntary death is advisable, but I also don't think it should be treated as an 'evil'.. No one asked to be born, and in a truly rational world (more rational than this, anyway), every single day of continued existence would be subject to debate (internally or collectively)
I had a great sociology class in the '80s, Death and Dying. IIRC Kubler-Ross's book Death and Dying was pretty good.
This book helped me a great deal.
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