Annihilation: The Sense and Significance of Death

by Christopher Belshaw

Annihilation explores the sense and significance of death in general and human death in particular. The first part of the book examines questions about the nature of death. For example, is the death of the brain a necessary and sufficient condition of death? How does the death of a human being relate to the death of a person? The second part of the book questions whether death should be seen as bad, focusing on the Epicurean view that the fear of death is irrational because it cannot be experienced, noting that, for instance, while we worry about future non-existence, we don't concern ourselves with past non-existence. The final chapter considers whether immortality is desirable and whether cryonics, brain transplants, and data storage might allow us to cheat death. Christopher Belshaw's examination focuses on questions of value rather than on morality and his general approach throughout is sceptical. The book will be of interest to philosophers concerned with the nature and importance of death and provides a much-needed foundation for discussions of abortion, euthanasia, life support, and suicide.

Genres: Philosophy

288 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2008

Reviews

[Stephanie McGarrah · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book sounded interesting, I will pick up almost anything on the topic, but on the very first page Belshaw says this:

"Does it matter that we discover what death is? I shall say that it does matter, and matters a lot, that we know a good deal about death. But we already do know a good deal. It matters that doctors and scientists know even more, and that they look further into its causes, its nature and the ways in which it might be countered. They are doing that."

Its not often that I can't get past the very first page of a book, but this is going to be one of those times. I can't imagine what new kinds of hell we would experience on earth if humans figured out the mystery of death. Like birth, you can explain in a scientific way what is happening, but life, as well as death, will remain a mystery. Personally I think trying to understand through the scientific matter these things that mystics and philosophers have been examining for centuries is one of the biggest indicators of Mankind's hubris.