Death (The Art of Living) 1st Edition by Todd May (PDF)

Description

The fact that we will die, and that our death can come at any time, pervades the entirety of our living. There are many ways to think about and deal with death. Among those ways, however, a good number of them are attempts to escape its grip. In this book, Todd May seeks to confront death in its power. He considers the possibility that our mortal deaths are the end of us, and asks what this might mean for our living. What lessons can we draw from our mortality? And how might we live as creatures who die, and who know we are going to die?In answering these questions, May brings together two divergent perspectives on death. The first holds that death is not an evil, or at least that immortality would be far worse than dying. The second holds that death is indeed an evil, and that there is no escaping that fact. May shows that if we are to live with death, we need to hold these two perspectives together. Their convergence yields both a beauty and a tragedy to our living that are inextricably entwined.Drawing on the thoughts of many philosophers and writers – ancient and modern – as well as his own experience, May puts forward a particular view of how we might think about and, more importantly, live our lives in view of the inescapability of our dying. In the end, he argues, it is precisely the contingency of our lives that must be grasped and which must be folded into the hours or years that remain to each of us, so that we can live each moment as though it were at once a link to an uncertain future and yet perhaps the only link we have left.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review Excellent. A fine example of what popular philosophy can be: wide-ranging and thought-provoking, in little more than 100 pages. May grasps the real paradox of mortality: that the fact of death imbues our life with passion and urgency, but it is that very passion for life that makes death tragic. –Financial TimesDeath is scholarly enough for the academic interested in a critical examination of theory and argument concerning death, while at the same time accessible enough for the reader interested in an introduction to philosophical thought on the topic, and to philosophical thought in general. All readers will appreciate this book’s ability to encourage and compel its reader to reflect on life and death in a philosophical and personal way. It is a fine achievement to make philosophy personally meaningful, and Death succeeds in this regard. –Philosophy in ReviewMay draws on insights ranging from the Stoics to Heidegger with incursions into famous arguments by Thomas Nagel and Bernard Williams on the way. Yet, May never loses his ability to write clearly and engagingly. Many books on death discuss a wider range of issues. Some discuss clinical definitions of death in order to resolve bioethical issues. Others discuss the morality of killing and whether abortion and euthanasia are cases of murder. This book does neither. It focuses only upon the existential significance of death and on the difference it should make to the way we live our lives. If it spends a lot of time on what may seem in the end to be simple and homely truths it does so because only be considering all the aspects of this issue and by exploring them in depth can the reader be taken on a journey that will truly be one of discovery and inspiration. –MetapsychologyDeath is scholarly enough for the academic interested in a critical examination of theory and argument concerning death, while at the same time accessible enough for the reader interested in an introduction to philosophical thought on the topic, and to philosophical thought in general. All readers will appreciate this book’s ability to encourage and compel its reader to reflect on life and death in a philosophical and personal way. It is a fine achievement to make philosophy personally meaningful, and Death succeeds in this regard. –Philosophy in ReviewMay draws on insights ranging from the Stoics to Heidegger with incursions into famous arguments by Thomas Nagel and Bernard Williams on the way. Yet, May never loses his ability to write clearly and engagingly. Many books on death discuss a wider range of issues. Some discuss clinical definitions of death in order to resolve bioethical issues. Others discuss the morality of killing and whether abortion and euthanasia are cases of murder. This book does neither. It focuses only upon the existential significance of death and on the difference it should make to the way we live our lives. If it spends a lot of time on what may seem in the end to be simple and homely truths it does so because only be considering all the aspects of this issue and by exploring them in depth can the reader be taken on a journey that will truly be one of discovery and inspiration. –Metapsychology About the Author Todd May is Kathryn and Calhoun Lemon Professor of Philosophy at Clemson University.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐In this short but rich little book, Todd May explores Death as the single most important fact shaping what it is to be human. To be more exact, how our awareness that we must die, that we can’t escape it, and that we can’t know when it will happen, gives us a particular view of both the world & ourselves. It’s this awareness that at some unknown time, in the most random fashion, we cease to exist, that makes us who & what we are.May delves into both the meaning derived from Death, and the essential meaninglessness of it — which often translates into a meaningless life for many. But that doesn’t have to be the case. If anything, he stresses how meaning & meaninglessness both define our existence, and how we must hold both in mind, maintaining the tension of the opposites (to use a Jungian term). He draws on classic philosophy, literature, and very personal experience to illustrate & illuminate his points.That last part is especially important — not merely because individual testimony is convincing & evokes empathy (as indeed it does), but because one of his most crucial statements is that Death is finally a matter of MY Death, rather than a universal abstraction. The questions of ceasing to exist, of leaving nothing behind, of simply stopping at an arbitrary moment out of our control — these are what we strive to deal within our personal concept of Death.I was especially struck by his emphasis on the future, something that doesn’t yet exist, that we may not live to see — and yet, it’s in assuming that we will see it for some time to come that makes our lives more than simply living for the moment. May doesn’t disdain the importance of the moment, but he does argue that in order for a life to have some personal meaning, it has to be lived in more than just the moment. Yes, we could die tomorrow — but we could also die some 40 or 50 years down the line. In a way, this means living life As If –it could end in the next second, it could go on for decades. How do we live with both possibilities? And yet that’s what we must do.For a subject that many would find hopelessly depressing & want to avoid thinking about at all costs, I came away from these pages with a clearer, calmer perspective. Perhaps it’s that I had my own sudden, utterly unexpected brush with death some years ago — that certainly does bring things into perspective! — but even if you haven’t had such an experience, this book can’t help but make you think in depth about your own life, and how one lives with the presence of Death. Our contemporary culture either trivializes it or ignores it, neither of which is really helpful in the long run, and certainly isn’t the most mature approach to it. May’s lucid, honest book is a necessary & rewarding antidote to such a superficial view of life … and of Death, of course.Most highly recommended!

⭐The analysis of death is an interesting one . I found the wording of the book somewhat inefficient, in that much is repeated in consecutive paragraphs without much added meaning. The conclusion that death is not a goal is based on premises that, while appealing as a human, are not justified in general – perhaps because the sense in which it would be a goal isn’t rigorously defined in the text.Overall, the book provided interesting food for thought and is worth reading; it just could have been better with more care taken toward economy of language and rigor of arguments.

⭐Acceptance of the inevitable makes for better living.

⭐A great read with lots of things to think about. I go back to this book every once in a while because I really love the themes it explores surrounding how we think about death. I would recommend this for anyone interested in the topic. If you’re up for it, it can help you grieve and process loss at key times in your life, too.

⭐Great read. Thought provoking.

⭐For school

⭐Packed with philosophy, deep thinking and compassion, an impressively thoughtful text that I’ve enjoyed reading and re-reading.

⭐Some insightfull views but mostly extra long tedious discussions, over elaborating most arguments.Seems like some of these were just included to get to a certain amount of pages.

⭐An accessible read but not great. The points presented are intriguing (though nothing fresh) but it falls flat with its analysis and arguments. The author relies heavily on repetition to get his points across leading to a lot of waffle and results in a dull and tiring read. At only 119 pages long I didn’t expect any great introspection into the topic but it really fell short in my opinion. Personally, it wasnt worth the £21.70 I spent on it at the time of purchase.

⭐Totally bizarre, the cover of the book was correct however the print inside was of another publication altogether!!! ( Only putting one star because I had no choice ).Found the publication that is actually printed inside online, disappointing.

⭐Tiny book – philosophical, but on a very accessible level. Not my favourite on the subject, but good intro. Light so perfect for commuting.

⭐Really good philosophical book

⭐Love it

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