Death and Immortality

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course examines philosophical perspectives on death and immortality from antiquity to the contemporary era. We begin with Plato’s Phaedo, which presents foundational arguments for the soul’s immortality. We then turn to Lucretius’ De Rerum Natura and Seneca’s Stoic writings, which challenge the fear of death through materialist and rationalist perspectives. In Christian thought, Augustine (Confessions, City of God) integrates Platonic and biblical views on the afterlife. Modern existentialists, including Kierkegaard, Heidegger, and Edith Stein, explore death’s role in human existence and its philosophical significance. Throughout the course, students will also be invited to consider this topic through selected works of art, from prehistoric funerary art to modern reflections on (im)mortality. By engaging with both philosophical texts and artistic expressions, this course encourages students to reflect on the meaning of death and the possibility of immortality.