The mystery of death: Toward a pacifist ethic
Abstract
Death is not a problem to be solved. Rather, death is a mystery. This dissertation explores death as mystery. Naturally, doing so requires some perspective, some way of looking at the world. The mystery of death is viewed through the perspective of the truth of Christianity. There is a role for faith in philosophy: whether or not one is a believer in God, one is making a faith commitment since we can decisively prove neither God’s existence nor God’s nonexistence. So this dissertation looks at some philosophical implications that result from using the lens of the veracity of Christianity to look at the mystery of death. A couple of those philosophical issues are that death is a test of communion, and I am not my life. In discussing death, life becomes the topic. Life is an unsought gift. Or is it? First we must determine whether or not gift giving is even possible. We conclude that it is and life is a gift: each of us is a gift to each other and ourselves. We comprise a community of giftedness. From the confrontation of the other that is gift comes the ethical demand which requires a fitting response. One fitting response is that of pacifism. This dissertation also looks at the just war tradition and finds that it is not morally viable option, so one desiring to justify war in general or any particular war cannot take moral refuge there.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
McBride, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Philosophy of religion|Philosophy
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