Journal of Philosophy of Life, vol. 5, no.2 (August 2015):42-61
Abstract: The claim that philosophy is training for death has an astonishing pedigree. In both the East and the West, the oldest philosophical traditions maintain that philosophy’s central function involves coming to terms with mortality. My aim is to sketch two approaches to this question, both of which involve a recognition of one’s insignificance. I will first present a therapeutic reading of the Socratic/Epicurean tradition, suggesting that the arguments surrounding mortality should be understood as tools for developing certain attitudes rather than simply as tools for ascertaining the truth. I next present some basic traditions of meditation in outline, arguing that they are similar in certain fundamental respects to pursuing the ‘life of reason,’ understood therapeutically. In both cases, we find practical techniques for cultivating awareness of one’s insignificance, as well as a recognition (and acceptance) of one’s mortality.
1. Introduction
The claim that philosophy is training for death has an astonishing pedigree. In both the East and the West, the oldest philosophical traditions maintain that philosophy’s central function involves coming to terms with mortality. And yet, despite a sometime-consensus regarding the goal of philosophy, there has been no such consensus on the manner in which philosophy is to achieve this goal. Nevertheless, as I hope to show, there is at least a common thread in some of these approaches: namely, the attempt to recognize one’s own insignificance. My aim in what follows is to sketch two approaches to this question—one of which is much more alive today than the other. I will first present a therapeutic reading of the Socratic and Epicurean tradition, suggesting that the arguments surrounding mortality should be understood as tools for developing certain attitudes rather than simply as tools for ascertaining the truth (though these are certainly compatible). I will next present some traditions of meditation in outline (vipassanā and zazen), arguing that they are similar in certain fundamental respects to pursuing the ‘life of reason,’ provided this is understood therapeutically. Although most people no longer think of the life of reason in the terms I will suggest, the traditions of vipassanā and zazen meditation are alive and well—and provide practical techniques for cultivating awareness of one’s insignificance, as well as a recognition (and acceptance) of one’s mortality… [PDF]
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