Overview
Explore the philosophical implications of death in this 50-minute Yale University lecture. Delve into the concept of death's ubiquity and contemplate hypothetical death-free scenarios. Examine the value of the human condition - life followed by death - and consider whether it's appropriate to avoid confronting our mortality. Analyze how thoughts about death can influence behavior, either by providing reasons for change or causing involuntary shifts. The lecture covers topics such as estimating remaining lifespan, the omnipresence of death, positive and negative effects of mortality on life's value, the rationale behind the claim "better off never to have been born," and strategies for managing the impact of death-related thoughts on daily life.
Syllabus
- Chapter 1. How Much Time Do We Have Left? .
- Chapter 2. The Ubiquity of Death .
- Chapter 3. What is the Value of Life with Death? Positive and Negative Interaction Effects .
- Chapter 4. "Better Off Never to Have Been Born": A Rationale .
- Chapter 5. Should We Even Think About Death to Live Life? .
- Chapter 6. Controlling the Impact of Thinking about Death and Conclusion .
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