Chapter 16 Quiz: Death

A note: This quiz covers philosophical frameworks about mortality. The questions are intellectual rather than personal. If you need a moment before starting, take it.

12 questions. Allow 35–45 minutes, including time for the short-answer questions.

Part A — Multiple Choice

1. Epicurus argues that death is not bad for the person who dies because:

a) Death is a natural part of life and therefore good b) When death arrives, there is no subject remaining to experience it as bad c) The afterlife compensates for any losses in this life d) We should focus on present pleasures and ignore the future

2. The "symmetry argument" (Lucretius) holds that:

a) Death is bad in the same proportion as birth is good b) The state of non-existence after death is symmetrical with the state of non-existence before birth, which we do not find troubling c) Every life deserves an equal amount of fear and of hope d) We should treat others' deaths with the same seriousness as our own

3. Thomas Nagel's "deprivation account" responds to Epicurus by arguing that:

a) Non-existence before birth is not relevantly symmetrical with non-existence after death b) Death is bad for the person who dies because it deprives them of the goods they would otherwise have had, even if they do not experience this deprivation c) Fear of death is an evolutionary adaptation that serves no rational function d) The Epicurean argument works for natural death but not for premature death

4. Marcus Aurelius's practice of memento mori is best characterized as:

a) A morbid fixation on death that ancient philosophy has since corrected b) A daily reminder of mortality intended to clarify priorities and counter complacency c) A Stoic argument for suicide as the rational response to suffering d) A meditation technique borrowed from Buddhism

5. Heidegger's term das Man ("the They") refers to:

a) Other people who threaten our authentic existence b) The anonymous, conventional collective mode of existence in which most people live most of the time c) God or a transcendent being d) The community of the dead who continue to influence the living

6. Heidegger argues that death is "non-relational." This means:

a) Death is irrelevant to our relationships with other people b) Death cannot be delegated, shared, or experienced on behalf of another — each person must face their own death alone c) Death has no relationship to how we should live d) Death is a purely biological event with no philosophical significance

7. The Buddhist teaching of anicca holds that:

a) Death is an illusion produced by our attachment to the ego b) Only the deaths of enlightened beings are philosophically meaningful c) Everything that arises passes away — impermanence is not an exception but the fundamental condition of all phenomena d) The self continues after death through a process of rebirth determined by karma

8. John Mbiti's concept of the "living-dead" refers to:

a) People in comas or vegetative states who are biologically alive but psychologically absent b) The recently deceased who remain present to the community as genuine members because they are still remembered by people who knew them personally c) Zombies in African folk traditions d) Ancestors from more than three generations ago

9. Terror Management Theory (following Ernest Becker) predicts that when people are reminded of their own mortality ("mortality salience"), they will:

a) Become more open to different worldviews and more tolerant of difference b) Show increased anxiety about status and increased hostility to those who hold different worldviews c) Become more interested in philosophy and less interested in politics d) Experience increased empathy for those who are dying

10. Bronnie Ware's research on the top regrets of the dying found that the most common regret was:

a) Not having worked harder and achieved more b) Not having spent enough time on religion or spirituality c) Having lived according to others' expectations rather than their own values d) Not having traveled more

Part B — Short Answer

11. (4–5 sentences) A friend tells you: "I tried the Epicurean argument — I know intellectually that I won't experience non-existence, but it doesn't help. I'm still afraid of death." How would you respond? Is the Epicurean argument failing philosophically, failing psychologically, or is your friend's reaction pointing to something the argument doesn't fully address?

12. (4–5 sentences) Both the Stoic memento mori tradition and Heidegger's being-toward-death are trying to do something similar with mortality — to bring it closer, rather than managing it at a distance. But they do it differently. What is the most important difference between the Stoic approach and Heidegger's approach? Which do you find more practical, and why?

Answer Key

Part A: 1. b 2. b 3. b 4. b 5. b 6. b 7. c 8. b 9. b 10. c

Part B — Suggested Elements:

11. The Epicurean argument may be philosophically valid without being psychologically effective. The fear of death is not always fear of the experience of non-existence — it may be fear of the dying process (pain, loss of control), fear of leaving behind people we love, fear of unfinished business, or simple biological fear that the intellectual argument doesn't reach. This is not a failure of philosophy; it's an honest account of what philosophy can and cannot do. A fuller response might note that multiple frameworks (Stoic practice, Buddhist training, therapy, relationship) may be more effective for the emotional work, while the Epicurean argument remains intellectually illuminating about a specific aspect of the fear.

12. The Stoic approach is practical and prescriptive: it offers specific exercises (the view from above, negative visualization, the obituary test) that can be incorporated into daily life. Heidegger's approach is phenomenological and analytical: he is trying to describe the structure of mortality as a feature of human existence, not prescribe a practice. The Stoic approach is more immediately accessible and actionable. Heidegger's analysis may be more philosophically penetrating — his account of authenticity and the flight into das Man captures something the Stoics don't fully articulate. In practice, most people find Stoic practices more useful in daily life, while Heidegger may be more illuminating in moments of existential crisis.