Death and the form of life

Bowring, Finn ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7475-5076 2022. Death and the form of life. European Journal of Social Theory 25 (3) , pp. 349-365. 10.1177/13684310211024534

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Abstract

This article explores the relevance of death to the value of life. After a preliminary discussion of the human experience of mortality, I consider Heidegger’s argument that death is a condition of authenticity, Sartre’s claim that death is an externality that is irrelevant because it cannot be lived and Simmel’s theory that death is a boundary that is transcended by life. While all theories have their merits, I suggest that Simmel’s approach, which articulates well with Levinas’s ethical critique of Heidegger, offers important insight into our responsibility for other people and for the survival of other forms of life.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Social Sciences (Includes Criminology and Education)
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
ISSN:	1368-4310
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	3 June 2021
Date of Acceptance:	26 May 2021
Last Modified:	07 Nov 2023 11:01
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/141706

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