FYS: Death as a Problem for Philosophy (PHIL 78)

This course explores both old and new questions regarding death. It emphasizes the connection between issues regarding death and time, existence, and value. Sample questions to be considered: Is it possible to survive death? How does thinking about our death relate to our thinking about time, in particular the apparent passing of time, and the difference between the past and the future? Is there an important difference between wishing one wasn’t dead at a future time and wishing one was already alive at a past time? Is death bad? If so, for whom? (After all, you won’t be there, you’ll be dead). How should we evaluate situations about people who do exist in contrast to situations about people who don’t exist any more or who never will or did exist?

Thomas Hofweber’s webpage