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Kiedy odchodzę dalej
nie zatrzymuj mnie
to jest droga w światło
(Różewicz Tadeusz "Skrzydła i ręce")

Tanatology is the study of death in our human world.


PROBLEMS OF TANATOLOGY IN PHILOSOPHICAL ETHICAL CONCEPT OF SENEKA

Olga Pylypiw, Lesya Myslovska, Dmytro Kostrytsya Lviv, Medical University, Iwan Franko State University Ukraine

Problems of tanatology belong to the categories of eternal ethical questions. They are complex and multilateral. The most actual are "fear of death", "unavoidability of death" and other. Philosophical contemplations of one of Roman Stoicism representatives Seneka are directed at the search for theoretical arguments that are contradicting to common phrase, which says that death is punishment for the sins. The philosopher, who believes into the dialectic unity of life and death confirms that life is given to a human being under the condition of death, because death is a law common for everybody " equal and strong necessity " . Every flight represents the death of our previous condition, " everything,that dies just changes its form in reality " . It is nonsense to be afraid of death. The death is the end of existence and everyone will unavoidably face it.

Seneka says that we gradually step into our death: cotidie morimur( we die every day). The great philosopher considers that it is necessary to weaken the thirst for life (amor vitae) in order to face the death camply so that we could draw a line under our life every second of it. Contradicting Christian morality Seneka thinks that not every life is a benefit and not every death is evil. Following Stoical tradition, he says that a person has the right to dispose his or her freely at the same time, he or she has the right to leave his or her life, if there are essential reasons for such a thing. The flow of life can be broken any moment of it, but it is preferable to wait till the natural end of it i.e. death from senility, which is" the most tender, but the longest". The death to Seneka s mind can guarantee preserving of human dignity and spiritual freedom. That is why the wish to bring up cherish contempt to death to overcome the fear of it, to oppose it to power and spiritual freedom is characteristic of ancient mentality. The poison(tsicuta) made Socrates famous.

The death full of dignity was appreciated in ancient times so highly,that it could redeem insignificant life.In the course of the development of the history of Philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Epicurus, Seneka, Mark Aurelius and others) its representatives tried to help people with understanding eternal problems.

However these problems though being eternal, but delicate are often intimate. That is why every person tries to find an answer independently.


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