A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH!

I know the whole discussion about death can be utterly morbid, but I think some of the adult students may like it. So here it is: a video of an amazing introductory lecture in Yale University. The specific course is entitled Philosophy of Death and it addresses philosophical questions that arise when one contemplates the nature of death. In case you need a listening aid, you can find the transcript of the lecture here.

See also a listening activity which is based on this video on the students’ IELTS blog, as listening to university lectures will be particularly useful to the TOEFL and IELTS candidates.

There is one thing I can be sure of: I am going to die. But what am I to make of that fact? This course will examine a number of issues that arise once we begin to reflect on our mortality. The possibility that death may not actually be the end is considered. Are we, in some sense, immortal? Would immortality be desirable? Also a clearer notion of what it is to die is examined. What does it mean to say that a person has died? What kind of fact is that? And, finally, different attitudes to death are evaluated. Is death an evil? How? Why? Is suicide morally permissible? Is it rational? How should the knowledge that I am going to die affect the way I live my life?