Tuesdays with Morrie
Death and Life - Tuesdays with Morrie
PART 1 Nagel wrote: “everybody dies, but not everybody agrees about what death is.” In this chapter, Death, Nagel explains some of the beliefs people have about death. One of his points was survival after death. Nagel said that if dualism is true we can understand how life after death might be possible. Each person would consist of a soul and a body, and the soul would have to be able to leave the body and function on its own. If dualism is not true, then life after death could not exist because mental processes go in the brain which depend on the rest of the body. Nagel believes that life after death might be tangible if dualism is true. Nagel asserts that death, the most terrifying of things, is nothing to us. Since as long as we exist, death is not with us; but when death comes, then we do not exist. It does not then concern either the living or the dead. He explained that death can be considered a negative evil because when a person dies, their lives end. This means that there is nothing left; no love, work, food, clothing, cars or anything else. When Nagel says death has no value, positive or negative, he means to the person who has died. One's death can clearly have value to others, negative to one's family and friends, positive to one's enemies or those who profit from it. Nagel also explained that anything that is bad for someone-must be bad for that person at a particular time. There is no time at which death is bad for the one who dies. Death is not bad for someone before he dies; it is not bad for her once he dies, because from that point on she no longer exists. Nagel makes a good point when he said: “the fact that all good things in life come to an end is reason for regret.” Some people want more to enjoy in their lives. Others are terrified of death, so they live in fear, not living life to the fullest. He said that it is scary to think that when a person dies, the world with go on without them and they
PART 1 Nagel wrote: “everybody dies, but not everybody agrees about what death is.” In this chapter, Death, Nagel explains some of the beliefs people have about death. One of his points was survival after death. Nagel said that if dualism is true we can understand how life after death might be possible. Each person would consist of a soul and a body, and the soul would have to be able to leave the body and function on its own. If dualism is not true, then life after death could not exist because mental processes go in the brain which depend on the rest of the body. Nagel believes that life after death might be tangible if dualism is true. Nagel asserts that death, the most terrifying of things, is nothing to us. Since as long as we exist, death is not with us; but when death comes, then we do not exist. It does not then concern either the living or the dead. He explained that death can be considered a negative evil because when a person dies, their lives end. This means that there is nothing left; no love, work, food, clothing, cars or anything else. When Nagel says death has no value, positive or negative, he means to the person who has died. One's death can clearly have value to others, negative to one's family and friends, positive to one's enemies or those who profit from it. Nagel also explained that anything that is bad for someone-must be bad for that person at a particular time. There is no time at which death is bad for the one who dies. Death is not bad for someone before he dies; it is not bad for her once he dies, because from that point on she no longer exists. Nagel makes a good point when he said: “the fact that all good things in life come to an end is reason for regret.” Some people want more to enjoy in their lives. Others are terrified of death, so they live in fear, not living life to the fullest. He said that it is scary to think that when a person dies, the world with go on without them and they