Do dead people exist? If not, what do we refer to and think about when talking and thinking "about them?" Am I going to die? Am I just my body, or could I somehow survive its destruction, perhaps as a soul or an uploaded computational system? That I have not always been alive does not trouble me like the fact that I will die; is that rational of me? Is mortality a drawback to a life, a positive thing, or what? Is suicide ever a reasonable choice? Can death be bad for the dead person, given that they no longer exist, and are not here to suffer? Do the wishes that dead people had when they were alive matter? Should the expectation of death structure how I live? We will discuss these questions, and in the process participants will be introduced to central issues in metaphysics, the philosophy of mind, and ethics. Preference to Freshmen.
3 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
Do dead people exist? If not, what do we refer to and think about when talking and thinking "about them?" Am I going to die? Am I just my body, or could I somehow survive its destruction, perhaps as a soul or an uploaded computational system? That I have not always been alive does not trouble me like the fact that I will die; is that rational of me? Is mortality a drawback to a life, a positive thing, or what? Is suicide ever a reasonable choice? Can death be bad for the dead person, given that they no longer exist, and are not here to suffer? Do the wishes that dead people had when they were alive matter? Should the expectation of death structure how I live? We will discuss these questions, and in the process participants will be introduced to central issues in metaphysics, the philosophy of mind, and ethics. Preference to Freshmen.
Offered in Spring 2027 at Stanford University.