METAPHYSICS OF DEATH

Christopher Ryan Maboloc Ateneo de Davao University

THANATOS
THANATOS was the god or daimon of non violent death. His touch was gentle, likened to that of his twin brother Hypnos (Sleep). Violent death was the domain of Thanatos' blood-craving sisters, the Keres, spirits of slaughter and disease.

HADES
The underworld is hidden in the earth. It is the kingdom of the dead and ruled over by Hades. Hades is a greedy god who is greatly concerned with increasing his subjects. Those whose calling increase the number of dead are seen favorably. The Erinnyes are welcomed guests. He is exceedingly disinclined to allow any of his subjects leave.

PLATO: ANAMNESIS
Plato developed the theory

of anamnesis. He suggests that the soul is immortal, and repeatedly incarnated; knowledge is actually in the soul from eternity (86b), but each time the soul is incarnated its knowledge is forgotten in the shock of birth. What one perceives to be learning, then, is actually the recovery of what one has forgotten.

DEATH AND CULTURE

One method of corpse disposal is sky burial, which involves placing the body of the deceased on high ground (a mountain) and leaving it for birds of prey to dispose of, as in Tibet. In some religious views, birds of prey are carriers of the soul to the heavens.

DEATH AND PSYCHOLOGY

According to Sigmund Freud,

humans have a life instinct which he named "Eros"and a death drive, which is commonly called (though not by Freud himself) "Thanatos". This postulated death drive allegedly compels humans to engage in risky and selfdestructive acts that could lead to their own death. Behaviors such as thrill seeking and aggression are viewed as actions which stem from this Thanatos instinct.

HEIDEGGER ON DEATH
Death is that possibility which

is the absolute impossibility of Dasein. For example, one's death is not an empirical event. For Heidegger, death is Dasein's ownmost (it is what makes Dasein individual), it is non-relational (nobody can take one's death away from one, or die in one's place, and we can not understand our own death through the death of other Dasein), and it is not to be outstripped.

DEATH AND THEOLOGY

Death involves and

affects the person as a whole. It involves consciousness, freedom, and love. It is not endured passively. Hence, death as a personal and spiritual phenomenon is not identical with the cessation of biological processes.