Death as a Social Harm

Lori Gruen

doi:10.1111/sjp.12064

journal article Jul 29, 2014

Death as a Social Harm

Lori Gruen

The Southern Journal of Philosophy Vol. 52 No. S1 pp. 53-65 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/sjp.12064

Abstract

AbstractLately there has been increased attention to the philosophical issues that death raises, but the focus remains individualistic. Death is philosophically puzzling. Death is thought to be bad for the individual who dies, but there is no one there to experience death as a harm. In this paper I argue that the harm of death is a social harm. Of course, social relationships are fundamentally changed when any member of a social group dies. Death is harmful for those left behind. The problem is not just that social relations are harmed by the loss of a loved one. The very meaning and value of our lives and projects are shaped by social relations. By recognizing death as a social harm that many animals, human and nonhuman, experience, we may be better prepared for the work of mourning.

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References

Details

Published: Jul 29, 2014
Vol/Issue: 52(S1)
Pages: 53-65
License: View

Authors

L

Lori Gruen

Cite This Article

Lori Gruen (2014). Death as a Social Harm. The Southern Journal of Philosophy, 52(S1), 53-65. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjp.12064

Death as a Social Harm

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