Humanism

Abstract

This essay offers a brief reflection on the problem of death as it has been elaborated within certain strands of humanist thought. In their attempts to come to grips with the scale of slaughter produced during World War I, European thinkers turned to a reexamination of the meaning of death within human life. The essay addresses two opposing viewpoints that emerged from this endeavor, an ontological conception, developed primarily in Heidegger, and a relational conception, explored here in the work of Levinas. In conclusion, I highlight the ongoing relevance of this debate for our contemporary moment.