Introduction to Philosophy
of the Human Person
Human Person and Death
Human Person and the Spirit:
Limitation & Transcendence
Temporal Being
o Time Bounded
Finitude – finite quality of state of existence
(“we cannot live forever”)
Younger Age: So many not yet (accelerate
time)
Advance Age: So many no longer (decelerate
time)
Death
• Death - the total cessation of life processes
that eventually occurs in all living No one wants to die. Even
people who want to go to
organisms (Britannica heaven don't want to die
Encyclopedia) to get there. And yet,
- A permanent cessation of all vital death is the destination
we all share. No one has
functions, the end of life, the cause or ever escaped it, and that is
occasion of loss of life how it should be, because
death is very likely the
(Merriam Websters Dictionary) single best invention of
life.
-Steve Jobs
Death : Its significance to life
• Life - the period between birth and
death, or the experience or state of being
alive (Cambridge Dictionary)
- the period during which a person or
thing is alive or exists, the course of
existence
(Merriam Websters Dictionary)
Death : Its significance to life
• What happens to the person when he dies?
Mind-Body Dualism (or Substance Dualism) –
refers to the philosophical view that mind and
body (or matter) are fundamentally distinct kinds
of substances or natures.
This dualist perspective believes that the mind or
spirit, being incorporeal, persist after the body’s
demise. This thinking gives rise to the idea of an
“near death experience” afterlife.
“out-of-body experience”
Review: Nature of Human Personhood
• Plato’s Dualism
Dualism - a theory that states that the
mental and the physical – or mind and
body or mind and brain – are distinct and
separable modes
“Human being is his soul”
-Soul resides on the world of ideas.
Death : Its significance to life
• What happens to the person when he dies?
Eternal Oblivion – (also referred to as non-
existence or nothingness) is the permanent
cessation of a person's consciousness upon death.
(World Heritage Encyclopedia)
This monistic perspective denies the existence of a
non-corporeal, immortal aspect in man, and
considers death as the end of a person’s existence.
Review: Nature of Human Personhood
• Aristotle’s Monism
Monism - a theory/belief that states that the
mind and the brain are in the state of
singleness.
It is usually contrasted with the dualist
position that mind and matter are deeply
different.
“Soul cannot exist apart from the body”
-Soul cannot exist independently of the body
Death : Its significance to life
• What happens to the person when he dies?
Eternal Oblivion – (also referred to as non-
existence or nothingness) is the permanent
cessation of a person's consciousness upon death.
(World Heritage Encyclopedia)
This monistic perspective denies the existence of a
non-corporeal, immortal aspect in man, and
considers death as the end of a person’s existence.
Philosophical Notions about Death
Ludwig Wittgenstein
• “Death is a part of existence”
- Death is the end of all experience and of life, A
person cannot hope to achieve immortality .
(Finitude)
• Existentialism - a philosophical theory or
approach which emphasizes the existence of the
individual person as a free and responsible agent
determining their own development through acts
of the will.
Philosophical Notions about Death
• Immortality is being happy
- A person can achieve a certain degree of
timelessness if he or she learns to “live in the
present.”
o Absence of fear of death (Embracing temporality)
o Entails the fulfillment of the purpose of existence
‘’Freedom is existence’’
“We do not live to experience death”
Philosophical Notions about Death
Karl Jaspers
“Death is evaluative aspect of life”
- Death is not just the end of all experience and of
life, it is a tool to encourage every individual to
realize his or her own authentic self-being.
This act of existential self-realization or of ‘true
selfhood’, leads the human being to understands and
implements the full freedom of their Existenz
(existence).
Philosophical Notions about Death
Erik Erikson
“Death is an important aspect in the development
of man”
- In the later stages life (near death), man undergoes
a challenge of balancing his life between ego
integrity and despair.
“Life undaunted by Death”
Ego integrity refers to a person achieving his or her
life’s purpose or having come to terms with his or her
life (maintenance of a balanced and productive life)
Human & Death
How should one face death and loss?
Grief is the natural reaction to death and dying. The
experience of grief often involves a multitude of emotions
such as sadness, anxiety, anger, and guilt.
Psychological studies on grief have yielded several views
on how humans deal with death, dying, and loss. The
earliest description of the phenomenon of grief was put
forth by Elisabeth Kubler- Ross.
Human & Death
Human & Death
Denial - the dying person initially expresses disbelief regarding his
or her situation; those who hear of death of a loved one often
refuses to believe the news at first.
Anger - the person expresses frustration with his or her situation.
Bargaining - the dying person often voices his or her wish that his
or her life be prolonged, and that he or she is willing to do
whatever it takes to survive.
Depression - the dying person experiences intense sadness and
exhibits disinterest in life and its normal routines.
Acceptance - this is the last emotional stage of grief when the
person finally comes to terms with his or her impending death and
has embraced his or her mortality.