Title

Annihilation

Document Type

Post-Print

Publication Date

7-1985

Abstract

Let us assume with Epicurus that death means annihilation. Then can we truthfully say that death is nothing to us? I think not. Nor should we want to believe that the deaths we shall soon face are nothing to us, I shall argue. Once we see what we would have to be like in order to be truly as unconcerned about dying as Epicurus professed to be, we shall see that we are better off dreading our dying day. However, I shall suggest that there are steps we can take to ensure that if luck is on our side, dying will not be as bad a thing for us as it is capable of being. But few are so lucky.

Identifier

10.2307/2220396

Publisher

Oxford University Press

Publication Information

The Philosophical Quarterly

Included in

Philosophy Commons

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