Lesson 9

The human Persons as Beings Oriented towards

Their Impending Death

painful to some but joy to others. For other peoples, death is desirable for it releases them from
their miserable experience of life. Death is feared by many as life is cursed for others. On the
other hand, life is a gift and a celebration as death is a liberation. The human person is an
embodied spirit. Embodied spirit means that a person is metaphysical (spirit) incarnated in to
the physical body. The human person has both physical and spiritual experiences. As spiritual
beings, the human persons must have its own origin from a metaphysical realm. In the
metaphysical realm Christians call this God (the Greatest reality). This greatest reality is the
source of the invaluable worth of the human person. It recognizes both the value of the human
person; the spirit and body. In the physical realm, this body is attached to the physical world
where it lives. Where all physical pleasure and bodily desire is experienced. From this physical
world, being an embodied spirit, human person’s body is finite and is geared toward death. It is
in this sense that the story of death is feared.
Honing the Potential
Philosophical Dialogue
Death as perceived by some Philosophers
In addition to the previous lesson, the meaning of death depends on one’s experience of life. It continuously
change overtime depending on the attitude of each human person. Some Philosophers like Martin Heidegger
(1889-1976), a person’s death is not the end of everything. Death is only in the physical and aspect of man
and not in the spiritual. The person is also a spirit, which entails his immortality. Many medieval
philosophers like Thomas Aquinas and Augustine see the spirit as a “form”. Death happens only in the
physical body and not on the form. Karl Jaspers (1883-1969), death is not the cessation of the Existenz.
Jasper added that dying is the journey of Existenz to merge with the Transcendence, or the ultimate reality.
Human person is the unification of the Dasien (the empirical or temporal dimension) and Existenz (the free
self that transcends temporality). When a person died especially our love ones, his/her death left a miserable
feeling to us. We feel hopeless as if we to have died with our love ones. We experience the end of the world
and the hopelessness of everything. It is the nothingness of life. As we experience this through, we come to
know that death is just a passing through from this realm to another. Death is not nothingness at all, but it
shows us the hope in the life next to it. We come to know that we are also spiritual persons. Death in fact is
nothing to be feared off. As what we have heard from our elders, why do we have to fear death, death is
beautiful. The Epicureans philosophy tell us; “as long as man lives, death is nothing, and when he dies he
cannot experience it either.” Indeed, death conquers life but when it comes it conquers itself and life
continues.
Philosophical death can be viewed in any forms or type; Anaximander (610- 547 B.Ch.E.) and Heraclitus
(533-475 B.Ch.E.) views death as an (a) annihilation as all things are transitory. Death happens only ones as
“ One cannot step into the same river twice”. (b) Socratic death, we may not forget how Socrates ( 470-399
B.Ch.E.) perceived death. Socratic views death as just another form of thinking, “ as to fear death is to
think that one knows what one does know”. Socrates however realized, having sentenced to death that death
is an endless sleep where one will never be awaken again. (c) Christian Death, contemporary philosophy, is
greatly influenced by Christianity. Christians in the same way struggled to explain what death is. Death is a
passing through from this life to another it is a unification of the soul to the Greatest reality (God).
 
In addition, Socrates, to know oneself is to know life, as “ the unexamined life is not worth living”, therefore
to know oneself, one knows how to deal with the problem of life like death (Berversluis , 2000). Socrates is
known for his method “ the Socratic Method”. He advocated ignorance over the one who pretends to know.
An ignorant person has the capability of knowing once he begins to wonder, that is when he begins to ask
questions. It is through questions where one finds the answer. The one who pretends to know are ones who
does not really know. In this view, the character of the person is very important for Socrates. Knowing
begins with a simple humility. As Socrates is known to have engage himself lecturing in market place; where
people
engage themselves in dialogue, argument and discussion. A truly happy
person is a person with character. One has to have a good habit for good
habit becomes a virtue. When one has a good habit of knowing himself, he
acquire a good virtue of himself. Happiness therefore is only possible when
one has good virtues. Moreover, Plato a great student of Socrates, like his
teacher views death as mere physical occurrence. Physical human body is
limited. It impedes the mind’s search for eternal truth or eternal being. For
Plato it is the mind that is important. The mind is eternal, immortal and
everlasting. The mind knows what is good. The mind is capable of knowing
the great reality-truth while the body or this world is just the shadow or
appearance of it. To attain great happiness therefore one has always to
contemplate and quit the physical body to achieve pure knowledge of the
reality.
TYPES OF DEATH
How do Christians Perceived Death?
Christians understand death in reference to the Judeo-Christian scripture. Death at times is
an inability to produce and not a cessation of life (Cook, 2015). In the Judeo-Christians
scripture, death is perceived in different books; (a) spiritual death, (b) second death, (c)
physical death, (d) sexual death, and (e) eternal death.
Spiritual death is the separation of man from his Creator. This refers to the fall of first
creature; Adam when he ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. Though Adam did not die
physically, what dies is the relationship between him and his Creator.
Second death or the final death is the perpetual separation from the Creator, when one after
final judgment is thrown down into the lake of eternal fire.

Last judgment as the scriptures mentioned happen after one who have undergone a
physical death and is resurrected-when one is reunited with his physical body to face the
Creator. In this death both the resurrected body and the soul is cast into the lake of fire
(Matt 10:28) where the god of death Satan and his unholy angels, those who have not
repented or have return to the grace of the Creator is eternal damned.
Physical death, is the death that every man with physical bodies have to undergo. It is the
separation of soul from the body. No one is excused in this form of death. Even animals if
they have soul have to pass through this.
This time the physical body dies and returns to earth (Job 34:15). The soul,
the immortal aspect of man journeys to another direction in accordance with
its act when living.
Sexual death, is when one has the inability to procreate or reproduce. We
read in the scriptures examples of men and women who were unable to
produce an offspring. We have Sarah the wife of Abraham for long years
have not begotten any child. Not begetting any child in their tradition is
considered a curse. Eternal death is when the body dies it has no more
second chance of salvation, the soul is forever and ever condemned and is
separated from its creator eternally.
Other writes like Schumacher (2010 ), the death of human being occurs
when its capacity to function as a whole is destroyed. The death of the
human being however is not the same as the death of the person. Persons
and human beings are not the same and one. Death is not the journey to
nothingness or absence of consciousness, it is a mere transfer of ownership of
its being. Death is neither bad to some nor good others.
Death as perceived by Eastern Thought
From the Western thought and conception of death we now shift to
eastern understanding of death. Holck, (1974) sees death as part of the
trans migratory process with birth as its counterpart. Life and death
are inseparable. It is and endless cycle of birth-death-rebirth or karma-
Samsara. This cycle or process operates in the principle that all human
actions are directed towards the achievement of desired goals. The
fruits of the actions leads to further actions. There are two points to
remember in this process; (a) the state of bondage is an unnatural state
of existence; that is the free soul is associated with the body, to free the
soul, it has to realize its true nature ( moksha ), and (b) the state of
bondage (samsara) is the state of ignorance, an unnatural condition. To
free the soul, it has to realize and knows the nature of itself ( self-
knowledge).
For a modern Hindu though, death is not the end of life. Life one
continuous, never ending process and death is a passing
phenomenon which every soul goes through to gain experience
for its further evolution. Death comes as a necessary drop scene
between two births. Birth and death are doors of entry and exit
on the stage of this world. For Mahatma Gandhi, birth and
death are eternal verities ; they are not different state but
different aspects of the same thing. Man is not at all a body in an
abode of the soul. Man’s real concern is to be or the immortal
man-Atman. In Gandhi’s letter to Ashram Children he
mentioned; “those who die are to be born again and those who
live are destined to die.” Gandhi added, “There is no salvation in
death, there is salvation in death when dying willingly, when
dying gladly.”
Harry David Thoreau
We come to know that death is just in the mind as great philosopher Socrates
have said. The fear of it is conditioned by our experience and observation.
However, the true knowledge of it tell us that it is nothing to be feared of. As
people grow in age, they become happier not because they are nearing their
end but they come to realize how much they have actually enjoyed living and
the life after. The mystery is not in death itself but in the way how did they
live their lives before it. Man feared death because it has been in the culture
where everyone else views it as terrifying. We fear the unknown beyond it.
The loss of someone is viewed as a loss of oneself. Our personal attachment to
the person and to the worldly things is something that pull us back. Moreover,
we sometimes become hedonistic, we perceived pleasure as the only good
and the only source of happiness. Undeniably we also find meaning in being
hedonistic by desiring to continually satisfying ourselves insatiably.
Life is meaningful when we experience satisfaction and pleasure. The materials
we possess, our consumerist attitude, are what preoccupies our thoughts and life.
All these give meaning to our life and so if only we could we want to live
eternally. Some of us have invested huge amount of money on how to extend our
life. We do not want to die. We are scared of it, we are so engrossed with this
happiness and beauty. Rightly so, because these are our need which we have to
embrace and live with. In addition, we sometimes perceived these things as
utilitarian. Being utilitarian we focus our happiness as the aim of our choices and
so we even engage into what is pleasurable because what is pleasurable is happy.
In life, it will have meaning when it is always favourable to us, when it is
satisfying. These are good in as much as they give meaning to life. They are good
because the majority have it. On the other hand, when do we come to know that
living this world is the true happiness? Only when we come to realize that all
these are just transient. They are not who we are. They are only the embodiment
of ourselves being physically present in the time.
Life is good and meaningful. Why good and meaningful? Life is inherently
precious and meaningful. In its wholeness life is not only being present in
this world, it also encompasses the life after. Let us not forget that we are
an embodied spirit. We to have transcendental form. Life’s value is
incomparable. The real and deeper meaning of life transcends time. John
Paul II in his encyclical letter Evangelism Vitae; man has incomparable
value, his value exceeds his earthly existence ( par 2). The totality of man’s
life includes the wholeness of his earthly existence and beyond. Time only
gives limit to his life in this initial stage. When we loss the sense of
hedonism, individualism, utilitarianism and consumerism life’s becomes
more meaningful (p 23). Our connection and desire with the
Transcendence validates our spiritual nature. This connection embraces
the meaningfulness of life.
He added: the body should not be treated as mere property and personal reality, a complex
organs to be used for hedonistic pursuit. We are always in connections and in relationships with
the Transcendence as our body is connected with our spirit, which form an inseparable
connection. John Paul II quoted Irenaeus of Lyons the glory of life is in connection with the
Transcendence. We will also find the greater meaning of our life when are able to connect
ourselves with others. Connecting ourselves with others mean, we should go deep into
ourselves. We should discover our inner selves. From this inmost part of ourselves we will find
the true meaning of our existence and connection to the Transcendence and others. Thus, we
should recognized them as valuable as we are. We should not treat them as means to an end.
They stand on the same level and importance as we are.

Arthur Schopenhauer, sees life in those who believe in God and immortality: God placed us in
this earth in order to achieve salvation and be rewarded with eternal happiness. Aristotle
defines happiness as a central purpose of human life and a goal in itself. For life to be
meaningful and happy one must cultivate a virtue. Authentic happiness in life requires a
fulfilment of conditions; physical and mental well-being. In his Nicomachean Ethics he asked,
What is the ultimate purpose of human existence? To be an ultimate end, an act must be self-
sufficient and final and desirable it itself.
He also proposes that life can be meaningful and happy when one engages to
have fun with friends. On the other hand he disagrees that a pleasurable life is
not a happy life at all. Pleasure is different from happiness though happiness is
pleasurable, because an authentic happy life is a meaningful life, a life that man
has to live with his rational principle of goodness and noble performance, it is
an activity of the soul in accordance with the practice of virtue. Achieving the
ultimate happiness is difficult since it consists the course of a whole life time.
Pleasure is always tempting, compare to the greater good that is painful and
requires great sacrifices, strong effort of will, doing the right thing even in
difficult situation. Ultimate happiness is not a short time-pleasure, instant
gratification but a life of complete virtue in living our whole life. Friendship is
among the important virtues. In friendship one cannot have a large number of
friends. It is love in friendship and love of friendship that is enjoyed and not the
number of friends.
Happiness is subjective, its’ all depend upon ourselves. There is no other way to it but
ourselves. Gautama Buddha (500 b.c.) have said that: “there is no path to happiness:
happiness is the path. Indeed a happy life is desirable but a way to it is to live it, to live a
happy life. It is the fulfilment of the true meaning of life. We just need to live it along
the way. How do we live it then? Bertrand Russell proposes that we need to love
because love is the most fatal of all happiness. Love gives meaning into our lives. It is a
way of surrendering our feelings to the good of others. It is not seeking more but in the
capacity to enjoy less, because it is does not come from external, it is from internal and
private success which we bestow upon ourselves. Often we tend to blame others to what
is happening into our lives especially when ill would come to us, when we fail, sad,
frustrated, and unsuccessful. The havoc that come to us , we think as caused by others.
We forget that we too have a great responsibility over ourselves. Our experience is not
because others have brought it upon us. What happen to us is the product of our choice.
One of the secret to happiness is contentment- that is desiring less, and not more.
Simplicity is the secret of meaningful life. To help ourselves on it John Stuart Mill have
learned that “to seek my happiness is to limit my desires, rather that attempting to
satisfy them.”
Some eastern icons also echoed the same sentiments that life meaning and happiness
depends on ourselves. Confucius believes in the power of positive thinking. It replicates
itself the more when we find reasons for its existence. Positivity is contagious. When one is
happy, thinks happily, express happily, others are attracted to it. Positive thinking can also
be contentment to what we desire and already have. For Nietzsche , it is the feeling that
power increases and the resistance is overcome. Positivity increases the more we desire for
it. It radiates. The best man to describe this is by looking at Kierkegaard thought, a happy
life comes from being present in the moment and enjoying the ride. Which mean, once we
stop turning our circumstances into problems and start thinking of them as experiences.
There are no problems in life it is only the way we perceived them. Harry David Thoreau
have describe it beautifully “happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more
it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on
your shoulder.” Lastly, Thomas Aquinas, man’s happiness is not consist in wealth, honours
, fame, glory, power, the goods of the body, or pleasure. The ultimate object of happiness is
the universal good that is found only in God, the source of all good.
LESSON 9 QUIZ!
IDENTIFICATION! MARTIN HEIDGGER
SCUMCHER
THE EPICUREANS
SOCRATES HERACLITUS
AND ANAMIXANDER

SOCRATIC DEATH SEXUAL DEATH

PLATO GOD SPIRITUAL DEATH

1. He said death is not the end of everything, it is only in the physical.

6. Socrates known oneself is to know life as “ the unexamined life is not worth
living, therefore to know oneself, one knows how to deal worth the problem of
life like death.”

7. For Plato it is NOT the mind that is important.

8. To attain great happiness therefore one has always to contemplate and quit the
physical body to achieve pure knowledge of the reality.

9. Death at times is an inability to produce and not a cessation of life

10.The death of human being occurs when it’s capacity to function as a whole is
destroyed.