To Philosophize Is to Learn How to Die
Facing death can be a key to our liberation and survival.
By Simon Critchley
April 11, 2020
From the NYT philosophy series The Stone
Again, if there are in fact those here who have used philosophy in order to learn how to die, then for them that becomes the bottom line. I congratulate them because, well, in grappling with the literal abyss, whatever works.
Right?
But given my own philosophy of life here and now it hasn’t taught me much at all. Why? Because nothing really changes. I am still getting closer and closer to oblivion. I am still getting closer and closer to having all that I love in life snatched away from me for all of eternity. How on earth can philosophy be of any use to me in that regard?
And, really, for those who are still able to sustain the conviction that a loving, just and merciful God will one day welcome them with open arms, bestowing upon them immortality and paradise, it would be idiotic for me to claim that they aren’t far better off than I am now. And while some atheists are able to take comfort in the fact that at least they have the intellectual integrity and courage to face death squarely on their own…that just doesn’t work for me.
This is basically over my head. Sure, on threads like this one, I’ll dive into the deep end of the pool and grapple with death by struggling to comprehend it. If only in a philosophical setting. And, who knows, I might actually come upon another’s dive that yields a far less pessimistic account.
But, by far, my most successful approach to dealing with death is to dive down instead into any number of distractions. Activities that take my mind away from death. Things I enjoy doing that require my concentration in order to do them well. It’s either this or in acknowledging that sooner or later my “set of circumstances” will precipitate so much pain and misery, I am then able to view death as the only possible antidote. Wanting to die in other words.
Yes, if this is an example of utilizing philosophy in order to learn how to die, and it “works” for you, all the better. Because that’s all that really counts in the end. Finding something that makes your death less terrifying.