Do You Disappear When You Die?

It depends if you believe in an essence

A dried, wilted rose with dark red petals and green leaves, resting on a smooth surface.

16th July 2019

Palle Yourgrau

| Professor of Philosophy at Brandeis University and biographer of Simone Weil

923 words

Read time: approx. 5 mins

Many philosophers seem to think, you simply 'disappear' when you die, 'erased' from the framework of reality as one would rub out a drawing on the blackboard. I think it would be a serious mistake to think this way. Time magazine had it right when it represented the death of bin Laden, hence his 'nonexistence' with a picture of him on the cover, crossed out with a big X. If you’re lecturing on the capture and killing of bin Laden, you might draw a picture of him on the blackboard, and then conclude your lecture by drawing, as Time did, a big X across that drawing. That would be the right thing to do. The wrong thing to do would be to simply erase the drawing, to rub it out. A blank blackboard does not represent the death of bin Laden. On the contrary, it represents nothing. Bin Laden, on dying, did not become nothing, just as he did not come from nothing. (Ex nihilo, nihil fit.)

Just this, however, seems to have escaped many, if not most philosophers who’ve written about the metaphysics of death. Shelly Kagan, for example, writes in his popular study Death that “nonexistence is nonexistence. It’s no kind of condition or state that I am in at all [after I’ve died]." Kagan seems to believe that when you’ve died and ceased to exist, there’s “no one left” to be in any sort of state or condition. There’s no one left even to be in the state of nonexistence, to have the property of nonexistence. He seems to subscribe to W.V. Quine’s doctrine that “in our common- sense usage of ‘exist’, that [bin Laden] doesn’t exist, means simply that there is no such entity at all.” If there’s no such entity, obviously, there’s no such entity to occupy the state of nonexistence, to have the property of nonexistence.

___

“Death affects that you are, not what you are”

___

As I said, this is a widely held view among philosophers of death. To choose another prominent example, consider what Francis Kamm writes in Morality, Mortality: “Life can sometimes be worse for a person than the alternative of nonexistence, even though nonexistence is not a better state of being.” For Kamm, nonexistence is never a better state of being than is existence because for her, apparently, nonexistence is not a state of being at all.

Kamm and Kagan, however, are mistaken. What they say is true not of Socrates but of the tooth fairy. The tooth fairy is indeed not in a state of nonexistence for the simple reason that there is no such person as the tooth fairy. By contrast, there is such a person as Socrates. Nathan Salmon, in “What Is Existence?” puts the matter succinctly: “‘Kripke exists’ is true whereas ‘Napoleon exists’ is false. Kripke has existence. Napoleon has nonexistence.”

Palle Yourgrau
16th July 2019

Want to continue reading?

Get unlimited access to insights from the world's leading thinkers.

Browse our subscription plans and subscribe to read more.

Start Free Trial

Already a subscriber? Log in

Latest Releases

How to reclaim the body

AI and the mysteries of reality

The pursuit of beautiful theories has become an obstacle to genuine discovery

Join the conversation

Dominic Praed 28 December 2021

Thanks for sharing!

Hudson McLeish 2 August 2021

thx, very useful

Ileana Williams 5 July 2021

This is very informative and interesting for those who are interested in blogging field Also take a look at the latest post of very genuine website. The post is related to 100 Best Roblox Hair Codes. Visit the article https://inforoblox208143704.wordpress.com/2021/06/28/the-100-best-roblox-hair-codes and have a happy information reading.

Timothy Roberson 15 June 2021

This is very informative and interesting for those who are interested in blogging field Also take a look at the latest post of very genuine website. The post is related to What is text-to-speech. Visit the article https://app.box.com/notes/820505566099?s=28jxpfqx4larfs8yzfrbfbqxyjhgqt57 and have a happy information reading.

Lee Gilbert 27 April 2021

This is a great post - clear and easy to understand. I am also catching a shark which has shown me a new information. We would like to share something with you with some new information like this. <a href="http://microphonetest.iwopop.com">Your Browser Has Denied Microphone Access</a>.

Klais Surik 19 March 2021

It's actually very deep material, I can tell you that for sure. That being said, despite mortality and the essentially inferior nature of it, people still strive for their own superiority instead of dealing with the existential. You can even trace this to the book Animal Farm, which, while not exactly about death, is inextricably linked to the theme of confrontation in life. I read a very good essay on the subject at https://studydriver.com/napoleon-vs-snowball/ , so be sure to check it out and read it. I think it will be helpful if you want to understand it better through confrontation. Without dealing with life, it's hard to start thinking about death.

Klais Surik 19 March 2021

Its so cool

Margot Walsh 23 February 2021

This article is really fantastic and thanks for sharing the valuable post. We presenting our profile about test my microphone. It is very informative. Generally Each microphone has its own unique sound and strengths. so, you should know about microphone.
https://zeef.com/profile/test.my.microphone

Lorraine Pickett 12 January 2021

Hi buddies, it is great written piece entirely defined, continue the good work constantly sir, Not sure about How to check if Macbook's camera is working or not.? Read the entire article and thank me later :
https://webcamtestonline.blogspot.com/2021/01/How-to-test-mac-camera.html

Lorraine Pickett 12 January 2021

You put really very helpful information. Keep it up. struggling to test your webcam on macOS, Windows OS, Linux, or Android. The easiest way to test your webcam online is explained in this article https://webcamtestonline.blogspot.com/2021/01/How-to-test-mac-camera.html

Sara R Johanson 6 January 2021

Your opinion is very good, I find it very interesting, thank you for sharing with us. All the ideas are delivered greatly. I found the article helping hand for those who are struggling choosing the right audio recording software for their project. visit to learn more https://www.bloglovin.com/@caroljwinchester/how-to-choose-best-audio-recording-software

Mary Williams 26 December 2020

Thanks to the creator for writing the post, it was quite necessary for me and liked it. I wrote a blog on the https://5fe467e96c0dd.site123.me/blog-1/how-to-turn-on-microphone-on-android-phone about this. I will be happy if you read it and accept it. Thank you.

Abodement Abodement 24 September 2020

Thanks to the author for the post, it was very useful to me and I liked it. I wrote an article on the https://essaysservicesreviews.com/ about this. I would be glad if you read it and appreciate it. Thanks for your attention

Abodement Abodement 24 September 2020

Thanks to the author for the post, it was very useful to me and I liked it. I wrote an article on the <a href="https://essaysservicesreviews.com/">https://essaysservicesreviews.com/</a> about this. I would be glad if you read it and appreciate it. Thanks for your attention

Abodement Abodement 24 September 2020

Thanks to the author for the post, it was very useful to me and I liked it. I wrote an article on the site about this. I would be glad if you read it and appreciate it. Thanks for your attention

Meghan Douglas 15 February 2020

I read your article about this star I think you are the gigantic aficionado of this star you know undeniable thing about them so it's not http://barbarakite.com/ thing it's mind boggling that you have the data about your most regarded personality so you do the wide.

Claude Elliott 23 January 2020

Do you disappear when you die, yes because it is natural and everyone must face it. I know all for the time is define everything in the given page where it is really important for us to know where https://www.proessaywriting.com/help-me-write-an-essay/ is important for all time. I need to make it popualr where it is perfect for all of you.

Arpita Yadav 22 January 2020

A duty of thankfulness is all together for turning these nuances. <a href="http://www.hotescortsjaipur.com/"> Jaipur Escorts Service </a> I in a general sense wish to reveal to you that I on a significant level look at your site and what's more I discover it really mesmerizing and key.