
The Metaphysics and Ethics of Death
New Essays
James Stacey Taylor(Editor)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 28. November 2013
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-0-19-975113-6 (ISBN)
Description
The questions that surround death-Is death a harm to the person who dies? Should we be afraid of death? Can the dead be harmed? Can they be wronged?-have been of widespread interest since Classical times. This interest is currently enjoying a renaissance across a broad spectrum of philosophical fields, ranging from metaphysics to bioethics. This volume is the first to bring together original essays that both address the fundamental questions of the metaphysics of death and explore the relationship between those questions and some of the areas of applied ethics in which they play a central role.
The essays in Part I of this volume examine some of the Classical approaches to fundamental metaphysical questions surrounding death, addressing in particular the question of whether a person's death can be a harm to her. The theme of the value of death is continued in Part II, with essays addressing this issue through a more contemporary lens. The essays in Part III address the related but separate issue of whether persons can be harmed by events that occur after they die. Finally, the essays in Part IV apply the metaphysical issues addressed in Parts I through III to various issues in bioethics, including the question of posthumous organ procurement, suicide, and survival after brain injury.
Written by some of the most prominent philosophers working on these issues today, the essays in this volume showcase the state of the art of both the metaphysics of death and its importance to many areas of applied ethics.
The essays in Part I of this volume examine some of the Classical approaches to fundamental metaphysical questions surrounding death, addressing in particular the question of whether a person's death can be a harm to her. The theme of the value of death is continued in Part II, with essays addressing this issue through a more contemporary lens. The essays in Part III address the related but separate issue of whether persons can be harmed by events that occur after they die. Finally, the essays in Part IV apply the metaphysical issues addressed in Parts I through III to various issues in bioethics, including the question of posthumous organ procurement, suicide, and survival after brain injury.
Written by some of the most prominent philosophers working on these issues today, the essays in this volume showcase the state of the art of both the metaphysics of death and its importance to many areas of applied ethics.
Reviews / Votes
this book contains many significant contributions to the field. It is a collection of essays by various authors who have established themselves as important contributors to the growing literature in this area, and who generally take this opportunity to present elaborations or developments of their views... Overall, there is much here to reward 'philosophical thanatologists,' whether they are new to the field or already well steeped in the literature. * Eldon Soifer, Philosophy in Review * Readers will find much of interest in this volume. * J. A. Kegley, Choice, *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
1 illus.
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
648 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-975113-6 (9780199751136)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2013
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€43.49
Available for download
Person
James Stacey Taylor is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at The College of New Jersey. He primarily writes on autonomy theory, and the metaphysics of death, as well as on how these theoretical issues relate to matters of practical ethical concern.
Editor
Associate Professor of PhilosophyAssociate Professor of Philosophy, The College of New Jersey
Content
Contributors ; Acknowledgements ; Introduction - James Stacey Taylor ; Section I: Classical Approaches to Death and their Critics ; The Damage of Death: Incomplete Arguments and False Consolations - Martha Nussbaum ; The harm of death in Cicero's first Tusculan disputation - James Warren ; Epicurus on the Value of Death - Kai Draper ; Section II: Death, and the Value of Death ; The Evil of Death One More Time: Parallels between Time and Space - Harry S. Silverstein, ; Adaptation - Steven Luper ; Death and Desires - Ben Bradley and Kris McDaniel ; Kripke's Moses - Palle Yourgrau ; Concepts of Value and Our Thinking about Death - Stephen E. Rosenbaum ; Section III: Posthumous Harm ; The Vulnerability of the Dead - Geoffrey Scarre ; Welfare and Harm After Death - Barbara Baum Levenbook ; Section IV: Death and Bioethics ; Doing Posthumous Harm - John Harris ; Suicide: A Qualified Defense - David Benatar ; Brain Injury and Survival - Walter Glannon ; Index