The Deathlessness of Existenz in Jaspers' Philosophy With an Emphasis on His Thoughts on Death

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 PhD student in Philosophy of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The core of Jaspers’ philosophical thought is the human existence, particularly reflected in the term Existenz. All other philosophical thoughts of him are related to this axial concept. Jaspers’ concept of Existenz expresses a non-experimental, non-concrete reality of the real individual and personality that can go beyond the objective time. This article investigates Jaspers’ perception of death. Using the thematic analysis method, the article tries to clarify his stance to death and the deathlessness of the Existenz and to give in a better understanding of the human existence in this world. From Jaspers’ viewpoint, the reality of biologic death is related to Dasein, while the borderline position of death – that might lead to the realization of the real self of the individual – is related to Existenz. He tries to show that although the human is a mortal creature, he has a transcendental dimension, too, and cannot be reduced to a mere physical creature in the world. Trying to explain the transcendental aspect of the human, Jaspers deems Existenz as immortal and unlimited. From the viewpoint of Jaspers, the immortality of Existenz does not mean the continuation of life in another realm after death; rather, the person can experience the immortality feeling in an existential moment while he is alive. According to this viewpoint, this immortal moment is timeless, i.e., the past, present, and future relations are not present in it (the way we perceive them); rather, they are perceived simultaneously in that timeless moment.

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References

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Philosophy of Religion
Volume 18, Issue 4
January 2022
Pages 565-593

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