Confrontations with the Reaper: A Philosophical Study of the Nature and Value of Death
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What is death? Do people survive death? What do we mean when we say that someone is "dying"? Presenting a clear and engaging discussion of the classic philosophical questions surrounding death, this book studies the great metaphysical and moral problems of death. In the first part, Feldman shows that a definition of life is necessary before death can be defined. After exploring several of the most plausible accounts of the nature of life and demonstrating their failure, he goes on to propose his own conceptual scheme for death and related concepts. In the second part, Feldman turns to ethical and value-theoretical questions about death. Addressing the ancient Epicurean ethical problem about the evil of death, he argues that death can be a great evil for those who die, even if they do not exist after death, because it may deprive them of the goods they would have enjoyed if they had continued to live. Confrontations with the Reaper concludes with a novel consequentialist theory about the morality of killing, applying it to such thorny practical issues as abortion, suicide, and euthanasia.
Introduction: Confronting the Reaper3The Reaper--Mysterious and Evil3The Structure of the Book5IThe Nature of Death1.The Search for Death Itself11The Problems of Death11Conceptual Analysis12Analysis of Death or Criterion for Death?14The Biological Concept of Death19Life as a Part of Death202.Life-Functional Theories of Life22Life Itself22Some Preliminary Objections25Aristotle's Life-Functional Analysis of Life26Some Modern Life-Functional Analyses of Life31The Matthews Approach35Conclusion383.Vitalist Theories of Life39Vitalism39The Empirical Problem42The Jonah Problem43The Failure of Analyticity45DNA-ism46Genetic Informationism51Problems for Genetic Informationism544.The Enigma of Death56The Gift of Life56The Biological Concept of Death56Perrett's Analysis58The Standard Analysis60Puzzles About Suspended Animation60Problems Concerning Fission and Fusion66The Mystery of Death715.On Dying as a Process72Two Senses of 'Dying,'72Some Preliminary Proposals73Smart's Analysis of Dying277Problems for Smart's Analysis78A New Proposal80More Mysteries of Dying285On Death and Dying2876.The Survival of Death89The Termination Thesis89Some Philosophers Who Have Accepted the Termination Thesis91Doubts About the Termination Thesis93The Argument from Definition96The Argument from Dualism97Corpses and People100Death and Nonexistence As1047.A Materialist Conception of Death106A New Approach to Death106The Lifeline107Death Itself, "a Death," and Being Dead108Death and Life110Death and Existence113Deaths, Lives, and Histories115Death and Humanity117Death and Personality118A Materialist Way of Death123IIThe Value of Death8.Epicurus and the Evil of Death127Epicurus's Argument Against the Evil of Death128Difficulties for the First Version of the Argument133A New Version of the Argument135The Fallacy in the New Version137How Death Can Be Bad for the One Who Dies1389.More Puzzles About the Evil of Death143The Puzzles143Axiological Preliminaries146Things That Are Bad for People148The Evil of Death150Some Proposed Answers152Conclusions15610.Utilitarianism, Victimism, and the Morality of Killing157"Thou Shalt Not Kill,"157Hedonic Act Utilitarianism and the Morality of Killing163Why HAU Fails to Explain the Wrongness of Killing166Theories Based on Harm to the Victim167And Why They Fail, Too17011.Why Killing Is Wrong173Ideal Act Utilitarianism173Vitalistic Act Utilitarianism174Hedono-vitalistic Act Utilitarianism177Problems for HVAU181Justicism182Justicized Act Utilitarianism18512.Abortion and the Failure to Conceive191Three Examples193Justicism, Murder, and the Failure to Conceive198Justicized Act Utilitarianism and the Problem of Abortion200The "Right to Life,"205Advantages of This View20713.The Morality and Rationality of Suicide210Welcoming the Reaper210Three Arguments for the Immorality of Suicide211An Argument for the Irrationality of Suicide215An Epistemic Argument Against the Rationality of Suicide217"Calculative Rationality" and Suicide219Euthanasia22314.Epilogue225Notes229Bibliography239Index243
