耶鲁大学开放课程哲学死亡的26课的英文字幕17.docx

耶鲁大学开放课程哲学死亡的26课的英文字幕17.docx

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耶鲁大学开放课程哲学死亡的26课的英文字幕17

Death:

Lecture17Transcript

ProfessorShellyKagan:

Lasttimewemadetheturnfrommetaphysicstovaluetheory.Westartedaskingaboutwhatitisaboutdeaththatmakesitbad.Thefirstaspectofthebadnessofdeaththatwetalkedaboutwasthefactthatwhensomebodydies,that'shardontherestofus.We'releftbehindhavingtocopewiththelossofthispersonthatwelove.Nonetheless,itseemslikelythatifwewanttogetclearaboutthecentralbadnessofdeath,itcan'tbeamatterofthelossforthosewhoremainbehind,butrathertheloss,thebadnessofdeath,forthepersonwhodies.That,atanyrate,iswhatIwanttofocusonfromhereonout.Whatexactlyisitaboutmydeath,orthefactthatI'mgoingtodie,thatmakesthatbadforme?

Now,Iwanttogetclearaboutpreciselywhatitiswewanttofocusinonhere.Now,onethingthatcouldbebad,obviously,istheprocessofdyingcouldbeapainfulone.Itmightbe,forexample,thatIgetrippedtopiecesbyBengalitigers.Andifso,thentheactualprocessofdyingwouldbehorrible.Itwouldbepainful.Andclearlyitmakessensetotalkabouttheprocessofdyingassomethingthatcouldpotentiallybebadforme.Althoughsimilarly,Imightdieinmysleep,inwhichcasetheprocessofdyingwouldnotbebadforme.Atanyrate,Itakeitthatmostofus,althoughwemighthavesomepassingconcernaboutthepossibilitythatourprocessofdyingmightbeapainfulone,that'snot,again,thecentralthingwe'reconcernedaboutwhenwefacethefactthatwe'regoingtodie.

It'salsotrue,ofcourse,thatmanyofusfind--;here,rightnow,whilewe'renotactuallydying--theprospectofdyingtobeunpleasant.So,oneofthethingsthat'sbadaboutmydeathformeisthatrightnowI'vegotsomeunhappythoughtsasIanticipatethefactthatI'mgoingtodie.Butagain,thatcan'tbethecentralthingthat'sbadaboutdeath,becausetheprospectofmydeath--itmakessenseforthattobeapainfuloneoranunpleasantone,onlygiventhefurtherclaimthatdeathitselfisbadforme.HavingfearoranxietyorconcernorregretoranguishorwhateveritisthatmaybeIhavenowaboutthefactthatI'mgoingtodie,piggybacksonthelogicallypriorthoughtthatdeathitselfisbadforme.Ifitdidn'tpiggybackinthatway,itwouldn'tmakeanysensetohavefearoranxietyordreadoranguishorwhateveritisthatImayhavenow.

Imean,supposeIsaidtoyou,"Tomorrowsomething'sgoingtohappentoyouandthatthingisgoingtobesimplyfantastic,absolutelyincredible,absolutelywonderful."Andyousaid,"Well,IbelieveyouandIhavetotellyou,I'mjustfilledwithdreadandforebodinginthinkingaboutit."Thatwouldn'tmakeanysenseatall.Itmakessensetobefilledwithdreadorforebodingorwhathaveyouonlyifthethingyou'relookingforwardto,anticipating,isitselfbad.Maybe,forexample,itmakessensetodreadgoingtothedentist,ifyoubelievethatbeingatthedentistisapainful,unpleasantexperience.Butifbeingatthedentistisn'titselfunpleasant,itdoesn'tmakesensetodreaditinanticipation.

Soagain,ifwe'rethinkingaboutthecentralbadnessofdeath,itseemstomethatwe'vegottofocusonmybeingdead.Whatisitaboutmybeingdeadthat'sbadforme?

Now,ifweposethatquestion,itseemsasthoughtheanswershouldbesimpleandstraightforward.WhenI'mdead,Iwon'texist.Nowpreviously,inthefirstpartoftheclass,wespentsometimesayingthat,look,oncertainviews,there'llbeaperiodoftimeinwhichyoumightbedead,butyourbodymightstillbealive.Oryoumightbedead,buteventhoughyourbodystillexists,it'snotalive,butyouexistasacorpse.Putallthataside.Gototheperiodbeyondanyofthatmurkystuffintheshort-termandjust,forsimplicity,let'ssupposewiththephysicaliststhatonceIdie,Iceasetoexist.Allright.

So,don'twehavetheanswertowhat'sbadaboutdeathrightthere?

WhenI'mdead,Iwon'texist.Isn'tthatthestraightforwardexplanationaboutwhydeathisbad?

Now,whatIwanttosay,ineffect,isthis.IdothinkthefactthatIwon'texistdoesprovidethekeytogettingclearabouthowandwhydeathisbad.ButIdon'tthinkit'squitestraightforward.Ithink,aswe'llsee,itactuallytakessomeworktospelloutexactlyhowdeath,hownonexistence,couldbebadforme.Andevenhavingdonethat,there'llbesomepuzzlesthatremainthatwe'llbeturningtoinalittlewhile.

So,thebasicideaseemstobestraightforwardenough.WhenI'mdead,Iwon'texist.Isn'titclearthatnonexistenceisbadforme?

Well,immediatelyyougetanobjection.Yousay,howcouldnonexistencebebadforme?

Afterall,thewholepointofnonexistenceisyoudon'texist.Howcouldanythingbebadforyouwhenyoudon'texist?

Isn'tthereakindoflogicalrequirementthatforsomethingtobebadforyou,you'vegottobearoundtoreceivethatbadthing?

Aheadache,forexample,canbebadforyou.Butofcourse,youexistduringtheheadache.Headachescouldn'tbebadforpeoplewhodon'texist.Theycan'texperienceorhaveorreceiveheadaches.Howcouldanythingbebadforyouwhenyoudon'texist?

Andinparticular,then,howcouldnonexistencebebadforyouwhenyoudon'texist?

Soit'snot,asIsay,altogetherstraightforwardtoseehowtheanswer"Deathisbadforme,becausewhenI'mdeadIdon'texist,"howthatanswerstheproblem,asopposedtosimplyfocusingourattentionontheproblem.Howcannonexistencebebadforme?

Theanswertothisobjection,Ithink,istobefoundindrawingadistinctionbetweentwodifferentwaysinwhichsomethingcanbebadforme.

Ontheonehand,somethingcanbebadforme,wemightsay,inanabsolute,robust,intrinsicsense.Takeaheadache,again,orsomeotherkindofpain--stubbingyourtoeorgettingstabbedorwhateveritis,beingtortured.Painisintrinsicallybad.It'sbadinitsownright.It'ssomethingwewanttoavoidforitsownsake.Andthose--;Normally,thingsthatarebadforyouarebadintrinsically.They'rebadbyvirtueoftheirverynature.There'ssomethingaboutthewaytheyarethatyoudon'twantthosethatarebadintheirownright.

Butthere'sanotherwayofsomethingbeingbadforyouthatit'seasytooverlook.Somethingcanbebadcomparatively.Somethingcouldbebadbecauseofwhatyou'renotgettingwhileyougetthisbadthing.Itcouldbewhattheeconomistscallbadbyvirtueof"theopportunitycosts."It'snotthatit'sintrinsicallybad;it'sbadbecausewhileyou'redoingthis,you'renotgettingsomethingbetter.

Howcouldthatbe?

Let'shaveasimpleexample.SupposethatIstayhomeandwatchsomethingonTV--DealorNoDeal.IwatchthisonTVandIhaveagoodenoughtime.Howcouldthatbebadforme?

Well,intermsofthefirstnotionofbad,somethingbeingintrinsicallybad,it'snotbad.It'sapleasantenoughwaytospendahalfanhour,orhoweverlongtheshowison.Ontheotherhand,supposewhatIcouldbedoinginsteadofwatchingahalfanhouroftelevisionisbeingatareallygreatparty.Thenwemightsay,thefactthatI'mstuckhomewatchingtelevisionisbadformeinthiscomparativesense.It'snotthatit's,initself,anunpleasantwaytospendsometime;it'sjustthatthere'sabetterwaytospendtimethatIcouldbedoing,inprincipleatleast.IfonlyI'dgone.IfonlyI'dbeeninvited.IfonlyIremembered,whathaveyou.AndbecauseI'mforegoingthatbettergood,there'ssomethingbad,comparativelyspeaking,aboutthefactthatI'mstuckathomewatchingTV.There'salackofthebettergood.Alackisnotintrinsicallybad,butit'sstillakindofbadinthissecondsense.Tobelackingagoodis,itself,badforme.

Similarly,supposeIholdouttwoenvelopesandIsay,"Pickone."Andyouopenupthefirstone,youpickthefirstone,andyouopenitupandyousay,"Heylook,tenbucks!

Isn'tthatgoodforme?

"Well,ofcourse,tenbucksisintrinsicallygood.Anyway,well,it'snotintrinsicallygood,it'sonlygoodasameanstobuysomething.Butit'ssortofgood.It'sworthhavingforitsownright,becauseofwhatitcangetyou.Butifunbeknownsttoyou,theotherenvelopehad$1,000init,thenwecansay,"Look,it'sbadforyouthatyoupickedthefirstenvelope."Badinwhatsense?

Becauseyouwouldhavebeenbetteroff,hadyoupickedthesecondenvelope.Youwouldhavebeenhavingmoregood,oragreateramountofgood.

Well,nonexistencecan'tbebadformeinourfirstsense.Itcan'tbethatnonexistenceisintrinsicallybad,worthavoidingforitsownsake.Thatwouldonlymakesenseifnonexistencewassomehow,forexample,painful.Butwhenyoudon'texist,youhavenopainfulexperiences.There'snothingaboutnonexistenceinandofitselfthatmakesuswanttoavoidit.Nonexistenceisonlybadformeinthiscomparativesense,becauseofthelack.WhenIdon'texist,I'mlackingstuff.

WhatamIlacking?

Well,ofcourse,whatI'mlackingislifeandmoreparticularlystill,thegoodthingsthatlifecangiveme.So,nonexistenceisbadbyvirtueoftheopportunitycoststhatareinvolved.Famously,W.C.Fieldsonhistombstonesays,"Personally,I'dratherbeinPhiladelphia."What'sbadaboutbeingdeadisyoudon'tgettoexperienceandenjoyanylongerthevariousgoodthingsthatlifewouldofferus.Sononexistencedoespointtothekeyaspectaboutdeath.Whyisdeathbad?

BecausewhenI'mdeadIdon'texist.Butifweask,whyisandhowcanitbethecasethatnonexistenceisbad?

theansweris,becauseofthelackofthegoodthingsinlife.BecausewhenIdon'texist,IamnotgettingthethingsthatIcouldhaveotherwisegotten,ifonlyIwerestillalive.Deathisbadbecauseitdeprivesmeoft