Comments on: In praise of the culture of death http://loveofallwisdom.com/2009/06/in-praise-of-the-culture-of-death/ Philosophy through multiple traditions Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:23:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Interesting blogs on the right | Love of All Wisdom http://loveofallwisdom.com/2009/06/in-praise-of-the-culture-of-death/comment-page-1/#comment-40 Interesting blogs on the right | Love of All Wisdom Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:23:01 +0000 http://loveofallwisdom.com/?p=41#comment-40 [...] Amod on Jun.11, 2009, under Politics If you’ve been following this blog so far this week, you can tell I’m fairly clearly on the left side of the political spectrum - especially [...] [...] Amod on Jun.11, 2009, under Politics If you’ve been following this blog so far this week, you can tell I’m fairly clearly on the left side of the political spectrum – especially [...]

]]> By: Amod http://loveofallwisdom.com/2009/06/in-praise-of-the-culture-of-death/comment-page-1/#comment-33 Amod Tue, 09 Jun 2009 22:44:53 +0000 http://loveofallwisdom.com/?p=41#comment-33 I think that's right, although there are some distinctions to be made. A typical 18-year-old boy's lack of attention to his mortality, it seems to me, comes from a very different place than a typical 50-year-old's. The boy thinks he'll never die and therefore doesn't have to be cautious; the 50-year-old thinks she'll never die <i>because</i> she is cautious. But neither has a good grasp of the fact of their mortality. A few years ago I got a physical that revealed my "good cholesterol" was too low; the prescribed solution was primarily exercise, with modest changes in diet. When I started doing that, the nurse told me "hopefully if you keep this up, you'll be healthy forever!" I had to laugh. Obviously that's not true if taken literally; but if she didn't mean that literally, what could the non-literal meaning of such a claim be? "I'll love you forever" can mean "I'll love you until I die"; but if "you'll be healthy forever" means "you'll be healthy until you die," then the surest way to be healthy forever is to die young. I think that’s right, although there are some distinctions to be made. A typical 18-year-old boy’s lack of attention to his mortality, it seems to me, comes from a very different place than a typical 50-year-old’s. The boy thinks he’ll never die and therefore doesn’t have to be cautious; the 50-year-old thinks she’ll never die because she is cautious. But neither has a good grasp of the fact of their mortality.

A few years ago I got a physical that revealed my “good cholesterol” was too low; the prescribed solution was primarily exercise, with modest changes in diet. When I started doing that, the nurse told me “hopefully if you keep this up, you’ll be healthy forever!” I had to laugh. Obviously that’s not true if taken literally; but if she didn’t mean that literally, what could the non-literal meaning of such a claim be? “I’ll love you forever” can mean “I’ll love you until I die”; but if “you’ll be healthy forever” means “you’ll be healthy until you die,” then the surest way to be healthy forever is to die young.

]]> By: Cory Hodge http://loveofallwisdom.com/2009/06/in-praise-of-the-culture-of-death/comment-page-1/#comment-32 Cory Hodge Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:13:16 +0000 http://loveofallwisdom.com/?p=41#comment-32 I feel that, in the United States, we have not a "Culture of Death", but a "Culture of Death-dealing". We watch the news, we play the games, we watch the movies. Like you said, we don't believe in our own moralities. We see this Immortality complex in many ways; from the blaring amount of our 18-24 year olds who are uninsured because "they don't need it" to, even simply, many states requiring people to wear seat belts in cars and helmets on motorcycles because nether is being done. I could go on more about this and Hollywood's role in our "culture of Death-dealing" but that would be another entire thing onto itself. -Cory I feel that, in the United States, we have not a “Culture of Death”, but a “Culture of Death-dealing”. We watch the news, we play the games, we watch the movies. Like you said, we don’t believe in our own moralities. We see this Immortality complex in many ways; from the blaring amount of our 18-24 year olds who are uninsured because “they don’t need it” to, even simply, many states requiring people to wear seat belts in cars and helmets on motorcycles because nether is being done.
I could go on more about this and Hollywood’s role in our “culture of Death-dealing” but that would be another entire thing onto itself.

-Cory

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