Brennan and Stainton's anthology brings together a selection of seminal work on the epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical questions surrounding death. Philosophical reflection on death dates back to ancient times, but death remains one of the most profound, puzzling topics. Samantha Brennan and Robert Stainton have assembled a striking selection of core readings from the philosophical literature on death. The views of ancient writers such as Plato, Epicurus, and Lucretius are set alongside the work of contemporary figures such as Thomas Nagel, John Perry, and Judith Jarvis Thompson. Brennan and Stainton divide the anthology into three parts. Part I considers questions about the nature of death and our knowledge of it. What does it mean to be dead? Is it possible to survive death? Is the end of life a mystery? Part II asks how we should view death. What (if anything) is so bad about dying? If death is nothingness, should it be feared or regretted? Part III examines ethical questions related to killing, particularly abortion, euthanasia and suicide. Is killing ever permissible? Under what conditions or circumstances? The selections are chosen with an eye to pedagogy. It offers a detailed examination of epistemological, metaphysical, and ethical issues.

שם הספר
Words and Thoughts: Subsentences, Ellipsis, and the Philosophy of Language