What is the Epicurean position on death, and is it coherent?

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Expert Solution

Epicurean famously asserted that death should not be feared, with roughly the following argument:

When we die, we no longer exist;
Since we no longer exist, we can feel neither pain nor pleasure. Rather, we simple "are not";
Therefore, there is nothing to fear in death, as death literally is nothing from our perspective. I find this Epicurean reasoning about death very compelling, but I must concede that it has counterintuitive implications, not least of which is that it appears to suggest that attempted murder is worse for the victim than successful murder. If only Caesar hadn’t had time to say ‘et tu, Brute’he would’ve been fine. However, even if the Epicurean view has these implications, they are not sufficient to constitute a reductio of the position if the argument for it cannot be faulted. And it is not clear that alternative views fare any better in the strange consequences department.

genius_generous answered 1 year ago

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