The Curse of Death - Part 1 of 2

I argue against Corey Anton's thesis that death (usually implied to mean annihilation) is a gift. Instead, it is the greatest moral evil that we must fight. I criticize Heideggerian obscurantism, and praise the Objectivist, romantic idea of being the heroes of our own lives, struggling against a cold, uncaring universe to achieve our highest aim, happiness.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Professoranton
• 0ThouArtThat0
• death
• lifeAfterDeath
• evil
• philosophy
• Heidegger
• meaningOfLife
• valueOfLife

[EnglishGoethe]

My point in this example is to illustrate that we take too much about ourselves--human beings--for granted. Our facticity is contingent. Our thrown-ness is contingent. Why postulate karma or a designer with a pre-mortal plan that we agreed to? Why not instead accept dumb luck (or misfortune, which is more often the case) for determining our facticity? On what justificatory grounds could we possibly posit a supernatural or numinous cause behind our facticity? Why not simply accept science?

[EnglishGoethe]

Imagine that we were raised by wolves. Our ability to speak (we acquire language largely during early development) would fail to develop, rendering us feral animals, not human beings, as commonly understood. Human identity requires language and culture, which is acquired through communication and modeling observed behavior of others. Identity isn't a given. It is something to be achieved (but isn't always). Without human identity, there would be no philosophers and no philosophy. What then?

[natedaug1]

@EnglishGoethe Good video, you have some great points, about death. Actual death is not fun. I think Professoranton is not talking about actual death though, he is talking about how people have the ability to be aware of their own death, sort of like Heidegger. Being "aware" of your death is sort of a gift, because it seems like no other creature on earth is capable of it. But real suffering exists on this planet, so you have a nice point.

[yikeswood]

if there are spirits that exist that think and interact with humans... then the physical brain is not necessary for us to exist? our whole physical existence is just not necessary? death is transendance

[miguelbinha]

@miguelbinha I meant death " alot of thinkers see death" (noyt life).

[miguelbinha]

@Professoranton handicap that thinkers don't see that urgency and the consequent crippling actuality of death and being aware of it. It's not that those who are crippled by it are the handicaped ones. It's more the case that those who are not that are indeed the emotional handicaped.

[miguelbinha]

@Professoranton Hello Corey and Steve! I do see the Stoic approach that Corey has to death and the heroism that one should encourage as a trait in humans and I can and do accept it. Because I live life as a moral obligation and because it is preferable to the non-awareness that death allegedly brings. But I also think that a lot of thinkers see life as a pure category, a backdrop, a future event. But death is not a future event. It is a NOW. And I believe that it's more a case of emotional

[Professoranton]

Thanks for the response. oh yeah, I grew up in Rochester.

I think you are deeply confusing death of the death bed, or factical death, or biological cessation with the human AWARENESS of death (which I am claiming is a gift).

see: /watch?v=CJkWS4t4l0k

People need more courage and I am sorry that you cannot forgive the cosmos for all of its painful injustices. Sounds, in many ways, like you prefer fiction to reality.

Also, personally, know this well: you know little to nothing of my life.