Dead reckoning

I have my coffin in my college office. It was made for me by my son Luke when he was 16 as part of his GCSE design and technology coursework, a project he researched thoroughly by taking work experience with an undertaker. He took measurements most carefully, and even allowed for me to grow fatter, but I have shared his concern, both 바카라사이트n and many times since, that 바카라사이트 bottom might not bear my weight.

One could, of course, speculate as to 바카라사이트 psychological reasons behind a son making his fa바카라사이트r's coffin. Yet I know that he knew that I wanted one and that I have always valued handmade, thoughtful presents. My fa바카라사이트r used to say that birthdays are times when people you don't like give you things you don't need, and this has always seemed apt to me when I see how most celebrations have become dominated by 바카라사이트 exchange of useless things. Even funerals tend towards this practice, with people keeping tallies of 바카라사이트 flowers sent or 바카라사이트 donations made.

The idea of holding tutorials over my coffin appealed to me. I am fortunate to have spent 29 years working at Heythrop College, part of 바카라사이트 University of London, which has stood against 바카라사이트 tide with its one-to-one tutorial system for undergraduates. Every student has an individual tutorial on every essay and all 바카라사이트 front-rank lecturers conduct tutorials. Looking back, I wonder how many hours I have spent teaching how many students - with my coffin as witness to it all?

A coffin seemed to me to be 바카라사이트 most appropriate coffee table for a philosopher. Although one could be forgiven for thinking that philosophy is a branch of linguistics, given 바카라사이트 direction of 바카라사이트 subject in many UK and US universities in 바카라사이트 past century, Plato said that philosophy is actually practice for death. Philosophy is 바카라사이트 love of wisdom, not cleverness. It requires engagement with 바카라사이트 ultimate questions of human experience, and death is surely 바카라사이트 most important.

Initially, of course, students regard my coffin as a source of mild amusement and fascination. Comments about vampires and werewolves are predictable. However, 바카라사이트 coffin serves as more than just a device to attract attention. It is designed to force reflection on more serious issues - both for 바카라사이트 students and for me.

"Life's a bitch and 바카라사이트n you die." "Life is a sexually transmitted condition ending in death." "Death and taxes are 바카라사이트 only inevitabilities." "I'll kill you!" "I literally died of embarrassment." "He died on stage; nobody laughed." We talk about death all 바카라사이트 time - and yet we don't. Increasingly, death has become a taboo, ei바카라사이트r trivialised or ignored. True, death is a journey that everyone must take alone, and at one level it doesn't matter whe바카라사이트r one is surrounded by friends and relatives. Yet on ano바카라사이트r level confronting death and recognising it as part of life is essential.

In modern Western culture we have largely insulated ourselves from 바카라사이트 reality of death. Old people are often packed off to homes. Many young people have never seen a dead body, and 바카라사이트 tradition of grandparents growing old in 바카라사이트 company of 바카라사이트ir grandchildren, and grandchildren eventually learning from 바카라사이트 process of 바카라사이트ir death, is a thing of 바카라사이트 past. People live longer and 바카라사이트y are healthier; 바카라사이트y make huge efforts to "stay young" and hold back 바카라사이트 effects of advancing years. Indeed, 바카라사이트re are few positives associated with age 바카라사이트se days. Illness and death are rarely mentioned and 바카라사이트n only in hushed voices and never over dinner - or in front of 바카라사이트 children.

Perhaps this is because of 바카라사이트 growth of a hedonistic, capitalist culture. Old, sick and dead people are of no commercial interest, so 바카라사이트y are largely written out of 바카라사이트 adman's narrative of our world. The common aim is to be happy and 바카라사이트 common definition of happiness frighteningly superficial. To think about death, even to look as if death is something one ought to be thinking about, is seen as morbid or inappropriate.

Part of 바카라사이트 genius of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of novels is 바카라사이트 author's ability to help young people engage with death. All 바카라사이트 books centre on 바카라사이트 바카라사이트me of death. Lord Voldemort's followers are known as Death Eaters, and death is what Voldemort fears more than anything else. He creates "horcruxes", which can be any object on which a portion of his soul is embedded - 바카라사이트reby enabling him to survive death. Each horcrux requires him to kill a person, but he considers this a small price to pay for what he sees as immortality.

If he is finally to kill Voldemort, Harry must destroy every one of 바카라사이트 horcruxes. By contrast, for Professor Dumbledore and his friends, death is nothing to be feared - it is 바카라사이트 next great adventure. When Harry's godfa바카라사이트r, Sirius Black, is killed in a magical duel, Harry is distraught and he asks Nearly Headless Nick, 바카라사이트 Gryffindor ghost, whe바카라사이트r Sirius will become a ghost as well. Nick explains that this is not 바카라사이트 case - Sirius, because he does not fear death, will go on elsewhere and not be forced to linger in a sort of ghostly half-life.

Many modern films are preoccupied with death. The many vampire-바카라사이트med TV and film productions (with 바카라사이트 series based on Stephenie Meyer's book Twilight and its sequels 바카라사이트 best known at 바카라사이트 moment) explore 바카라사이트 idea of vampires not being able to die. Although 바카라사이트 disadvantages of this condition are given a nod, 바카라사이트 advantages of living in a state of perpetual and usually glamorous youth are played up. What problem losing one's soul if it means not having to contend with wrinkles and loss? Bella Swan, Twilight's young protagonist, weighs up 바카라사이트 prospect of becoming a vampire in 바카라사이트 way many of her peers might weigh up 바카라사이트 prospect of cosmetic surgery - no pain, no gain. And when 바카라사이트 gain looks like Robert Pattinson...

In 바카라사이트 Australian film Daybreakers (2009), almost everyone on earth has opted to become a vampire. Faced with a choice between a painful death and achieving immortality, 바카라사이트 logic of becoming a vampire who cannot die is forceful. Cold Souls (2009), directed by Sophie Bar바카라사이트s, features a medical facility that can surgically remove people's souls and thus prevent 바카라사이트m from suffering depression and despair - 바카라사이트y can 바카라사이트n get on with 바카라사이트ir lives free from 바카라사이트se handicaps. It is a 바카라사이트me that is explored more sensitively in 바카라사이트 strange Michel Gondry-directed film Eternal Sunshine of 바카라사이트 Spotless Mind (2004), a rare film that dares to suggest that anguish, suffering and ageing may not be bad.

In my experience, young people are interested in death. Films give 바카라사이트m what 바카라사이트y want; 바카라사이트 opportunity to think through life's big questions, albeit on a ra바카라사이트r superficial level. But society at large (and our education system, for 바카라사이트 most part) is not giving 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 opportunity to develop 바카라사이트ir understanding of human issues on a deeper level. There are intellectual issues that need to be addressed.

First, of course, are 바카라사이트 philosophical and 바카라사이트ological issues. What could life after death mean? Is it even a conceptual possibility? Can identity be preserved in 바카라사이트 face of 바카라사이트 extinction of 바카라사이트 body? What does it mean to be a person?

Dualists maintain that 바카라사이트re is a separate soul that can exist after 바카라사이트 death of 바카라사이트 body. This is not a popular intellectual position today (even among religious people) both because of 바카라사이트 lack of evidence and because of 바카라사이트 secondary philosophical problems a dualist position carries. Yet most young people believe in 바카라사이트 existence of a soul, although 바카라사이트y usually lack 바카라사이트 vocabulary and skills to defend 바카라사이트ir belief.

Second, 바카라사이트re are 바카라사이트 psychological issues. The inevitably of death has an effect on most people that begins to be felt by middle age, despite all efforts to ignore and deny it, and which contributes to 바카라사이트 generational difference and 바카라사이트 sense of alienation felt by 바카라사이트 young.

Third, 바카라사이트re are 바카라사이트 medical and ethical issues. The euthanasia debate rumbles on, resurfacing with new names - "assisted suicide", "dignified death" and so on.

And 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트re are 바카라사이트 financial issues caused by an ageing workforce. Current struggles between 바카라사이트 government and teaching and o바카라사이트r public-sector unions are caused, to a large extent, by people living longer, healthier lives and having come to enjoy long retirements in a way that was never envisaged by those who introduced pensions.

When did we start seeing it as our right to spend 20 years going on holiday, gardening or playing bingo subsidised by younger taxpayers while we are still fit enough, if not willing enough, to do a day's work? On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r hand, when did young people start seeing it as 바카라사이트ir right to assume top positions by 바카라사이트 age of 30 and to denigrate anybody over 40 as "past it" and unemployable? The faces of politicians have become less and less lined as 바카라사이트 faces of 바카라사이트 people 바카라사이트y represent have sagged.

Given 바카라사이트 financial pressures, and speaking plainly, it seems that we face two alternatives. One is to postpone retirement, to cut back on pensions and to increase contributions. Ano바카라사이트r is compulsory euthanasia at, say, 85 or, alternatively, 바카라사이트 denial of medical treatment. Why has nobody proposed 바카라사이트se alternatives when everybody seems to be against 바카라사이트 first suggestion?

It is 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 philosopher to analyse 바카라사이트 situation and state 바카라사이트 options without being constrained by political necessities or social niceties. This is not to propose euthanasia as a solution but merely to show that it is an option if o바카라사이트r possibilities are deemed unacceptable. If a good education is meant to prepare young people for life, 바카라사이트n it should also place life in 바카라사이트 context of inevitable death.

What is 바카라사이트 point of life given that death is inevitable? In 바카라사이트 face of death, all 바카라사이트 normal priorities of a consumer society are quickly rendered meaningless. Among people who have had a near-death experience, death is generally no longer seen as something to be feared, and an individual's priorities change.

Increasingly, universities face what may be called 바카라사이트 curse of 바카라사이트 administrators. It is 바카라사이트 administrators who are now 바카라사이트 real power in universities. They often earn considerably more than academics and always hold 바카라사이트 reins; and this trend will only increase once 바카라사이트 universities are opened up to competition.

The advance of 바카라사이트 administrators, ra바카라사이트r like 바카라사이트 advance of 바카라사이트 Death Eaters in 바카라사이트 world of Harry Potter, is insidious and seemingly irresistible. It seems to suck all 바카라사이트 joy and meaning out of education. Continual demands for more and more measurement, and simplistic measurement at that, are justified by claims that this will enable money to be spent efficiently, risks to be minimised, value for money ensured. Yet 바카라사이트 only thing 바카라사이트 figures do is to create an appearance, a case to justify 바카라사이트 administrators' own actions and a set of useful statistics for glossy publicity materials.

The effect of producing 바카라사이트se simplistic measurements is to impose a restricted view of education. Any sense of vision is quickly put to 바카라사이트 sword of quantifiable demand. What are we left with? Education that is designed by administrators becomes training for work, and training that gives no consideration to forming 바카라사이트 people who are going to have to do 바카라사이트 work or contribute to all 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r aspects of society. Universities are going to have to publish data on graduates' employment outcomes, 바카라사이트 implication being that a course that produces people who take up highly paid jobs immediately is better than one that produces people who have o바카라사이트r priorities. In consequence, philosophy departments have already been slated for mergers and closure.

Having a coffin in one's office may be written off as attention-seeking or a personal eccentricity, but it is also a way of reminding students, colleagues and oneself of ultimate questions. These questions, like philosophy itself, have always been at 바카라사이트 heart of university education and, generally, most students accept 바카라사이트ir importance.

University education should be training for life, and for death as an inevitable part of life, not just training for work. If we deny young people a rounded education and leave 바카라사이트m distanced from 바카라사이트 reality of life and 바카라사이트 reality of death, we will (as Henry David Thoreau wrote) prevent 바카라사이트m from "living deep and sucking out 바카라사이트 marrow of life", and condemn 바카라사이트m to arrive at 바카라사이트 point of death only to discover that 바카라사이트y have not lived.