Death and the Afterlife

Based on the Berkeley Tanner Lectures given by N.Y.U. philosophy professor Scheffler, this volume offers an unusual conversation about our fear of death, and our hopes to live on in memories. Of Scheffler’s three lectures, the first two explore humanity’s possible reactions to two catastrophic scenarios. In the first, particular individuals would live normal life spans, but with the knowledge that all of humanity would be wiped out by an asteroid 30 days after their death. In the second, humanity is rendered infertile, so that the most recent generation would be the last. Scheffler (Human Morality) suggests that these scenarios cause distress because they mean the end of what he calls the “afterlife”—the knowledge “that others will continue to live after I have died” and that the human race will continue. As a result, he believes, many activities and projects that we find worthwhile (finding a cure for cancer, preserving cultural traditions) will feel worthless if life ended after our deaths. Thinking about the end of humanity provides insights into what we value, and why we value it. After the lectures, several philosophers weigh in on Scheffler’s ideas, offering their own interpretations, to which he responds—an insightful look at what death means to us. (Oct.)