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The Existential Compromise in the History of the Philosophy of Death

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University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2011 The Existential Compromise in the History of the Philosophy of Death Adam Buben University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons, Philosophy Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Scholar Commons Citation Buben, Adam, "The Existential Compromise in the History of the Philosophy of Death" (2011). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3020 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Existential Compromise in the History of the Philosophy of Death by Adam J. Buben A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Charles Guignon, Ph.D. Roger Ariew, Ph.D. Andrew Burgess, Ph.D. Thomas Williams, Ph.D. Date of Approval: February 7, 2011 Keywords: Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Christianity, Platonic, Epicurean Copyright © 2011, Adam J. Buben Dedication I dedicate this dissertation in loving recollection to Hank, Kay, Lloyd, Pete, and Wendell. I would also like to mention the rest of my family—largely composed on all sides of professional educators—whose emphasis on education has influenced me greatly. Although my parents (all four of them) may have been perplexed at times by my extended philosophical pursuits (and, in my mother’s case, disappointed that I gave up on paleontology), they have always been supportive of my adventures. I must also make a special point of thanking my grandmothers, Inez and Emily, whose undeserved generosity and support have contributed greatly to my achievements. In addition, there are numerous friends and colleagues that I wish to acknowledge here for guidance, fruitful conversations, and other sorts of assistance in recent years. In no particular order, these include Niels Jørgen Cappelørn, Jessica Doyle, Jon Stewart, John Davenport, Ed Mooney, James Sellmann, Tide Pereira, Troy McVey, Gordon Marino, Cynthia Lund, Carl Hughes, Andrew Henscheid, Gerhard Schreiber, Malene Trock Hempler, Bjarne Still Laurberg, Steve Burgess, Geoff Pfeifer, Shoni Rancher, Walter Wietzke, West Gurley, Elena Ruiz-Aho, Kevin Aho, Sally Guignon, Jan Schuetz, Torsten Land Daugaard, Sinead Knox, Casey Rentmeester, David Cheely, Jared Kinggard, Jessica Williams, Eleanor Helms, Jeremy Allen, George Connell, Bill Tierney, Robert Tierney, Kris Konrad, Douglas Farrer, Tamara Marks, Barry Ryan, Tony Aumann, Erik Lindland, Arron Fehir, Molly Below, Brett Byram, Jeffrey Hinzmann, Joanne Waugh, Darlene Corcoran, Sidney Axinn, Iain Thomson, Kelly Becker, Hans Pedersen, Richard Purkarthofer, Carlos Sanchez, Bill Koch, Michael Gibbons, Brian Dunst, Nate Draluck, Haley Glover, James Crotty, Russell Goodman, John Taber, Narve Strand, Ali Elamin, Ofelia Schutte, John Lippitt, Margherita Tonon, Niall Keane, Howard Hong, Myron Penner, Laura Llevadot, Simon Podmore, Paul Muench, David Possen, Rick Anthony Furtak, Pete Olen, Andrea Pitts, Phillip Scuderi, Aaron Karp, Anthony DeSantis, Alex Levine, Katie Schenk, Michael Oakeson, Adriana Novoa, Merold Westphal, Anders Folkmann, and my students from the death class in the fall of 2010. If I have forgotten anyone, please know that it is the result of a weary mind, nervously anticipating impending deadlines, and not due to a lack of gratitude. Finally, I wish to express special thanks to two people who have contributed greatly to the success of my recent endeavors. First, to my friend and co-editor, Pat Stokes: I’ve had so much fun and learned so much working with him. You will never find a more dedicated scholar of Kierkegaard … or crazy nonsense on the internet. Second, to my wonderful girlfriend Megan Altman: I won’t even try to squeeze into a sentence or two all that her companionship has meant to me throughout this process. I hope that I can be as loving and supportive as she goes through it. Acknowledgments I am grateful to the University of South Florida for five years of ample funding and freedom on the Presidential Doctoral Fellowship. In addition to this base, my research could not have been completed without the aid of summer fellowships at the Hong Kierkegaard Library at St. Olaf College, and a Fulbright Grant for study at the Søren Kierkegaard Research Centre at the University of Copenhagen. I have also received various forms of support from the University of Guam, the University of New Mexico, the Søren Kierkegaard Society (U.S.A.), Indiana University Press, and the Danish- American Fulbright Commission. The names most glaringly absent from the list in my dedication belong to my dissertation committee, whose tireless efforts and penetrating feedback have helped to shape the document before you (although any shortcomings are my own). Professors Roger Ariew and Thomas Williams were of great help in keeping me honest in my second chapter account of the historical development of death in philosophy. Professor Andrew Burgess has been so generous with me since my time in New Mexico. In addition to guiding my study of Kierkegaard, he has been a great mentor to me on all aspects of academic life. Last but not least is my advisor Professor Charles Guignon. I have appreciated the opportunity to experience his brilliant scholarship, encouraging style, and warm sense of humor. I am honored to have been able to work with him over these last five years. Table of Contents Abstract iii Preface 1 Chapter 1: Introduction 5 Chapter 2: Bilateral Development of the Philosophy of Death 10 The Platonic Strain: Death in and after the Phaedo 12 Plato. 12 Early Christian Appropriation. 14 From Neo-Platonism to Medieval Christianity. 16 An Augustinian Reformation. 21 The Epicurean Strain: Beginning with the “Letter to Menoeceus” 29 The Epicureans. 29 The Stoics. 34 Early Modern Appropriation. 38 The Nineteenth Century Germans. 43 Death in Twentieth Century Analytic Philosophy. 59 Chapter 3: Kierkegaard and the Existential Philosophy of Death 66 Kierkegaard’s Death Project 67 Death in the Early Writings. 69 Death in the Middle Writings. 73 Death in the Late Writings. 85 Is Dying to the World Only for the Aspiring Christian? 94 Kierkegaard’s Appropriation and Criticism of the Tradition 96 Kierkegaard on Socrates and Christianity. 99 Kierkegaard Contra Epicurus. 120 Chapter 4: Heidegger and the Existential Philosophy of Death 140 Death in Being and Time 141 The Death Chapter. 142 Death and the Rest of “Division Two.” 159 Heidegger’s Appropriation and Criticism of the Tradition 165 What Heidegger Was Reading. 166 What Heidegger “Borrowed” from Kierkegaard. 172 Heidegger’s “Atheism” and the Theology of Kierkegaard. 186 i Chapter 5: The Limits and Legacy of the Existential Philosophy of Death 191 Heidegger’s Oversights 192 Misunderstanding Kierkegaard. 192 French Thought and the Death of the Other. 196 Kierkegaard on Heidegger 201 The Emptiness of Anticipatory Resoluteness. 202 A Mutual Understanding. 207 Chapter 6: Conclusion 214 References 217 ii Abstract I begin by offering an account of two key strains in the history of philosophical dealings with death. Both strains initially seek to diminish fear of death by appealing to the idea that death is simply the separation of the soul from the body. According to the Platonic strain, death should not be feared since the soul will have a prolonged existence free from the bodily prison after death. With several dramatic modifications, this is the strain that is taken up by much of the mainstream Christian tradition. According to the Epicurean strain, death should not be feared since the tiny particles that make up the soul leave the body and are dispersed at the moment of death, leaving behind no subject to experience any evil that might be associated with death. Although informed by millennia of further scientific discovery, this is the strain picked up on by contemporary atheistic, technologically advanced mankind. My primary goal is to demonstrate that philosophy has an often-overlooked alternative to viewing death in terms of this ancient dichotomy. This is the alternative championed by Søren Kierkegaard and Martin Heidegger. Although both thinkers arise from the Christian tradition, they clearly react to Epicurean insights about death in their work, thereby prescribing a peculiar way of living with death that the Christian tradition seems to have forgotten about. Despite the association of Kierkegaard and Heidegger, there is a fundamental difference between them on the subject of death. In Being and Time Heidegger seems to iii rely on the phenomenology of death that Kierkegaard provides in texts such as “At a Graveside.” It is interesting to notice, however, that this discourse, especially when seen in the light of Kierkegaard’s more obviously religious works, might only be compelling to the aspiring Christian. If so, then perhaps there is a tension in both Heidegger’s “methodologically atheistic” appropriation of Kierkegaard’s ideas about death, and Heidegger’s attempt to make these ideas compelling to the aspiring human. My secondary goal is to determine whether Heidegger takes the “existential philosophy of death” too far when he incorporates it into his early ontological project. iv Preface In order to circumvent certain specific concerns that might distract from my general account of death in the history of philosophy, I find it necessary to begin with a brief statement of my methodology. While aspects of this methodology will be reiterated throughout the dissertation, there are two issues in particular that should probably be laid out in explicit detail up front. The first is the selection of the thinkers and texts that will find a prominent place in my account.
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