FALL 2014
PHILOSOPHY 395—002
PHILOSOPHY OF DEATH
Instructor:
Charles Joshua Horn, Ph.D.
Joshua.Horn@uwsp.edu
Office Location : CCC 470
Office Phone : (715) 346-2849
Office Hours : MW, 10:00am—11:00am, 1 :00pm—2 :00pm
http://charlesjhorn.webstarts.com/index.html
Course Information:
Class Time: T, 6:00pm—8:30pm
Class Location: CCC 126
“ALL WHO ACTUALLY ENGAGE IN PHILOSOPHY ARIGHT
ARE PRACTICING NOTHING OTHER THAN DYING AND BEING DEAD.”
PHAEDO
64A
Course Description:
Questions concerning the nature and phenomena of death are as old as philosophical inquiry itself.
The philosophy of death may cover any number of issues in a number of different fields of
academia including legal, ethical, and religious aspects. In this particular course we will devote our
attention primarily to a wide range of metaphysical and epistemological topics.
In the first part of the course, we will examine some traditional perspectives on death and dying in
both Western and Eastern cultures. Included in this section of the course will be an analysis of
Christianity, Islam, Plato, Hinduism, Taoism, and other historical and philosophically rich traditions.
Additionally, we will investigate reflections on death and dying from different contemporary
perspectives.
In the second part of the course, we will focus our attention on the philosophy of parapsychology
by examining several supernatural cases which seem to suggest survival after death. Included in this
part of the course will be an analysis of alleged cases of trance mediumship, reincarnation,
possession, lingering spirits, and out of body experiences.
Some of the questions to be examined in this course will be:
(1) What attitude should we have about death?
(2) How is death significant?
(3) How do Eastern conceptions of death differ from traditional conceptions of death in the
West?
(4) Is there any evidence, empirical or rational, for the survival of the self after death?
(5) Is there something morally repugnant about merciful acts of killing?
(6) How do we confront death?
(7) In what way does death make our lives meaningful?
(8) How does immortality relate to the meaning of life?
Texts:
Immortal Remains: The Evidence for Life after Death
Stephen E. Braude
Rowman and Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 978-074251472
(IR)
The Eternal Pity: Reflections on Dying
Ed. Richard Neuhaus
University of Notre Dame Press
ISBN: 978-0268027575
(EP)
Death and Philosophy
Ed. J.E. Malpas, Robert C. Solomon
Routledge
ISBN: 978-0-415-19144-9
(DP)
(On reserve in UWSP library)
Life, Death, & Meaning: Key Philosophical Readings on the Big Questions
(LDM)
Ed. David Benatar
Rowman and Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 978-1-4422-0170-5
(On reserve in UWSP library)
Course Goals:
By carefully examining the different philosophical, historical, and cultural understandings of death,
students will develop critical thinking skills by engaging, analyzing, and evaluating texts in order to
write well, speak articulately, and argue persuasively.
Grading Criteria:
Final grades will be based upon (1) three take home exams worth 60% total, and (2) ten weekly reflection
papers worth 40% total. Assignments turned in late will not be accepted unless prior arrangements
have been made with the professor.
(1) Each take home exam will include both a short answer and essay component. In grading
your exams, I will consider whether you have a sufficient understanding of the relevant texts,
have answered the questions clearly, concisely, and thoroughly, and have argued your position
persuasively.
(2) Reflection papers should be roughly one typed page in length, single spaced. The reflection
papers are not summaries of the material. Instead, this is a way for you to explain to me
different thoughts that you had while reading the material. For example, you could answer
some of the following questions. What parts of the material were difficult and why? What
were the most interesting parts of the material and why? Is the author right or wrong about a
particular issue and why? You must read the material before class, reflect on it, and be
prepared to discuss it. Each reflection paper will be worth 4% of your overall grade.
(3) Attendance is taken at the beginning of every class and is absolutely critical for your success
in this course. You are allowed one unexcused absence. After two absences, 5% will be deducted
from your overall grade for every other unexcused absence. Please note that attendance is
taken at the beginning of class, NOT throughout the entire class; so, if you show up late, you
will not be counted as present for the day.
A Range
(90—100%)
A (94—100)
A- (90—93)
B Range
(80—89%)
B+ (87—89)
B (84—86)
B- (80—83)
C Range
(70—79%)
C+ (77—79)
C (74—76)
C- (70—73)
D Range
(64—69%)
D+ (67—69)
D (64—66)
F Range
(0—63%)
F (<63)
Academic Integrity:
Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism or helping others to commit these acts will not be tolerated.
Academic dishonesty will result in severe disciplinary action including, but not limited to, failure of
the student assessment item or course, and/or dismissal from the University.
Expectations:
Students are expected to attend every class and remain for the entire time. Do not come late. Do not
leave early. Students must complete the necessary readings prior to class and be prepared for
discussion and participation. Students will treat other students with respect. This means, turning off
all cell phones and addressing their peers in a respectful tone. It is important to note that the nature
of this class will inevitably result in disagreements among colleagues; however, it is essential to
maintain respect toward one another despite disagreement.
Course Schedule:
Part I: Perspectives on Death
September 2
September 9
September 16
September 23
EP—Thinking about Dying: Twelve Classic Visions
EP—The Quran (Fate as the Will of God)
EP—The Life of the World to Come,
Book of Common Prayer
1—36
74—82
EP—Katha Upanishad (The Figure of Death)
DP—Roger Ames, Death as Transformation
in Classical Daoism
DP—Robert Wicks, Death and Enlightenment
42—45
DP—Tem Horwitz, My Death
DP—Graham Parkes, Death and Detachment
EP—Montaigne “To Philosophize Is to Learn to Die”
(Acceptance Beyond Fear)
5—15
83—97
DP—Kathleen Higgins, Death and the Skeleton
DP—Betty Flowers, Death, the Bald Scenario
DP—Peter Loptson, The Antinomy of Death
DP—Robert Solomon, Death Fetishism, Morbid Solipsism
39—49
50—56
135—151
152—176
173--178
57—70
71—82
66—70
Part II: Death and Beyond—Philosophy of Parapsychology
September 30
IR—Chapter 1: Preliminaries
IR—Chapter 2: Drop-In Communicators
1—30
31—52
October 7
IR—Chapter 3: Trance Mediumship
53—100
October 14
IR—Chapter 4: The Case of Sharada:
Psychopathology and Xenoglossy
101—132
October 21
IR—Chapter 5: The Case of Patience Worth
133—175
October 28
IR—Chapter 6: Reincarnation and Possession
177—224
November 4
IR—Chapter 7: Lingering Spirits
225—244
November 11
IR—Chapter 8: Out-of-Body Experiences
245—282
Part III: Life, Death, Immortality, and Meaning
November 18
LDM—Richard Taylor, The Meaning of Life
LDM—Thomas Nagel, The Absurd
LDM—Robert Nozick, Philosophy and the Meaning of Life
LDM—David Schmidtz, The Meaning of Life
21—30
31—43
65—92
93—114
November 25
EP—Leo Tolstoy “The Death of Ivan Ilych”
(The Experience of Death)
91—99
EP—Gilbert Meilaender, “I Want to Burden My Loved Ones”
(Choosing to Live)
116—120
EP—Jeffrey Ford, “Mercy Killing at Golgotha”
(Hastening Death)
121—124
December 2
LDM—Stephen Rosenbaum, How to be Dead and Not Care:
A Defense of Epicurus
175—190
LDM—Steven Luper, Annihilation
201—222
LDM—Fred Feldman,
Some Puzzles about the Evil of Death
223—242
December 9
LDM—James Lenman, Immortality: A Letter
LDM—Bernard Williams, The Makropulos Case:
Reflections on the Tedium of Immortality
LDM—John Martin Fischer,
Why Immortality Is Not So Bad
LDM—Christine Overall, From Here to Eternity:
Is it Good to Live Forever?
337—344
345—362
363—377
379—393