There are two perspectives that of which can be looked through when assessing if death is bad or not bad, harmful, or non-harmful. The first perspective is that of an ordinary account that of which goes along the line of thinking that to die is to be deprived of life. “The standard way to account for the badness of death is to endorse some sort of deprivation account. According to the deprivation account, death is bad for someone if, and to the extent that, it deprives that individual of a more valuable life” (Philosophy of Death, 3). It is natural to say that to die is to cease being alive and that cessation is often not the desirable outcome. With that being said, it would seem that one who wishes to be alive and then becomes a victim of death- is then having something taken away from them which in turn could be foreseen as harmful. The “mere deprivation is insufficient for death to be a misfortune…the victim must also have had a desire to live” (Philosophy of Death, 3). The Greek Philosopher Parmenides said “Nothing can come from nothing.” He said that nothing can come from nothing therefore ‘being’ must have always existed. Since ‘something’ cannot come from ‘nothing,’ then ‘something’ must have always been there to produce the sensible world. In denying the reality of change, he represented a turning point in the history of Western Philosophy as well as an intellectual revolution. This world we perceive is of one substance and we who are here (on this world) share unity of this substance. The concept of an afterlife is argued not to exist by Parmenides saying that one cannot die and go somewhere else (the afterlife), because one can never have been ‘not’ nor can it ever ‘not be.’ It is because of this that Parmenides urges the appreciation of the unity we share while we are alive, here, together.
The second perspective on death was commonly held by ancient Greek philosophers as well as Native American Indians and middle eastern religion. “Epicurus seemed to think that since a person goes out of existence when she dies, death cannot be bad because the dead person can have no painful experiences” (Philosophy of Death, 3). According to Socrates, death is not something to fear because while you are alive, you are alive, so death does not affect you, and when you are dead, you are dead, and death still does not affect you. He was quite a literal thinker but his way of thought definitely puts the fear of death under a microscope that of which amplifies the hard truth. Socrates also stated that death is either a dreamless sleep (which isn’t all that bad), or we survive the death of the body and can converse with those who died before. This calls for the belief in the immortality of the soul, that of which goes hand in hand with eastern regions such as Buddhism and Hinduism.
These two religions hold value on what is called “atman,” translated to English means our humans souls. Our atmans are on a “manga”, translated to “path” and this path takes us through five stages in life. Each stage is thought to bring value toward our atman so that when our souls reach the final stage of renunciation and liberation from the cycle of birth and death, called “moksha,” we have finally shed all bad karma, reached a full realization of our self, and are content to be forgotten. Seeings that Buddhism and other eastern religions believe in an afterlife (and not just one), death is welcomed and praised as the final release from this cycle, otherwise called “samsara” (the wheel of life, death, and rebirth).
I believe that the objection to death being harmful provides great relief to those who are still living and for those who believe in an afterlife- great motivation to work toward a better future. Through the comfort of belief that there is a cycle we as beings are living through, allows the followers of Buddhism, ancient greek philosophy, and indigenous peoples to live with the mentality that they should do and bring better to the world with each life that they live. This perspective holds great value on the way that we treat one another and the choices we make each day to live the best for not only ourselves but for all other living beings. I do not believe that death is harmful. Through a philosophical perspective, I stand by the view that the universe is working for a bigger purpose that can be shifted off or on track by the actions of living beings. If we as these beings have an effect on this purpose, then not only for the survival of this Earth, but the those who are born in the future, death is a necessary part of the bigger picture. “Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely” -Buddha.
Citations
University Press, Oxford. “Introduction: Philosophy of Death.” Oxford Handbooks, 11 Oct. 2017.