
The Solace
Finding Value in Death through Gratitude for Life
Joshua Glasgow(Author)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 17. November 2020
Book
Hardback
128 pages
978-0-19-007430-2 (ISBN)
Description
How can we find solace when we face the death of loved ones? How can we find solace in our own death? When philosopher Joshua Glasgow's mother was diagnosed with cancer, he struggled to answer these questions for her and for himself. Though death and immortality introduce some of the most basic and existentially compelling questions in philosophy, Glasgow found that the dominant theories came up short.
Recalling the last months of his mother's life, Glasgow reveals the breakthrough he finally arrived at for himself, from which readers can learn and find solace. When we are grateful for life, we value all of it, and this includes death, its natural culmination. Just as we are grateful for the value in our lives, we can affirm this value in death. This is how to face death in a way that is both rational and comforting--in a way that provides solace.
Too often we think about death as nothing but a loss. But if we shift our thinking, we can focus on how the goodness of life radiates to all its parts, even to death itself. In this way, we can find solace in death without having to resort to sentimentalism, and we can do so in a way that is equally relevant for the religious and non-religious. This path to solace provides a reassuring and significant tool for those grappling with the fact that we pass away.
Recalling the last months of his mother's life, Glasgow reveals the breakthrough he finally arrived at for himself, from which readers can learn and find solace. When we are grateful for life, we value all of it, and this includes death, its natural culmination. Just as we are grateful for the value in our lives, we can affirm this value in death. This is how to face death in a way that is both rational and comforting--in a way that provides solace.
Too often we think about death as nothing but a loss. But if we shift our thinking, we can focus on how the goodness of life radiates to all its parts, even to death itself. In this way, we can find solace in death without having to resort to sentimentalism, and we can do so in a way that is equally relevant for the religious and non-religious. This path to solace provides a reassuring and significant tool for those grappling with the fact that we pass away.
Reviews / Votes
This book is beautifully written. It tackles some of the most basic 'existential' issues, such as death, nothingness, immortality, the value of life, and the appropriate attitude toward death.These are topics of interest to philosophers, but also to human beings in general, and the book is accessible to a wide range of readers, from beginners in philosophy to those who are more advanced. It is a deeply original book, developing a fascinating suggestion for the appropriate attitude toward death, based on the 'radiant value' of life. This is a humane, thoughtful exploration of deeply important issues. * John Martin Fischer, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, UC Riverside * This is an elegant meditation on how to think about passing into death. Inspired by the author's desire to speak to his terminally ill mother about how to find some solace--something of value--in passing away, the book subtly weaves together philosophical ideas on death, immortality, the value of life, regret, meaningfulness, valuing imperfections, gratitude, and the sources of solace. Glasgow has a gift for gently guiding his reader through complex ideas without losing sight of our human need for solace in the face of mortality. * Cheshire Calhoun, Professor of Philosophy, Arizona State University *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 180 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
204 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-007430-2 (9780190074302)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2020
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€8.49
Available for download

E-Book
10/2020
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€8.49
Available for download
Person
Joshua Glasgow is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Sonoma State University, where for several years he was also Director of the Center for Ethics, Law, and Society. He works on a variety of topics in ethics and political philosophy. He is the co-author of What is Race?: Four Philosophical Views, published by Oxford University Press in 2019.
Author
Associate Professor of PhilosophyAssociate Professor of Philosophy, Sonoma State University
Content
1 Silver Linings First Path: Nothingness
2 Epicurus' Dilemma
3 Passing Away
4 Incomparable
5 Solutions, Solutions Second Path: Immortality
6 Deprivation or Rescue?
7 The Impossible Thing
8 Changes Third Path: Life
9 Gratitude
10 The 8-Track and the Pen
11 Love
12 Valuable Imperfections
13 Existence
14 History
15 Experience
16 The Last Part
17 Solace
18 The Conversation
2 Epicurus' Dilemma
3 Passing Away
4 Incomparable
5 Solutions, Solutions Second Path: Immortality
6 Deprivation or Rescue?
7 The Impossible Thing
8 Changes Third Path: Life
9 Gratitude
10 The 8-Track and the Pen
11 Love
12 Valuable Imperfections
13 Existence
14 History
15 Experience
16 The Last Part
17 Solace
18 The Conversation