Precisely, most people do not realize the nature of fear and the reasons for its occurrence. The reason is that a fear deadens mind, thus, a person cannot oppose it with rational explanation. In most cases, the fear of death or thanatophobia is justified by its connection with any disease, pain, loneliness, and suffering. There is also a belief that death is not bad and people should not be afraid of it because fear is a burden for a human being. For example, Epicurus and his followers believed that a person does not feel pain or suffering at the time of decease. According to them, human life is limited to the moment of birth and death, and there is nothing to fret about. The fear of death is irrational since a person is not able to give it a full evaluation and explain it. However, the irrationality of fear of death implies its significance.
The Causes of Thanatophobia and Its Realization. Basically, death is closely connected with the spiritual world of human beings. Therefore, an interpretation of an "end of everything" is a subject of the philosophy of death. According to Feldman (1994), an approach to decease as to a biological fact (i.e. a scientific approach) is not appropriate (rational) for a human (p. 130). Anxiety and fear represent a true attitude toward individual reality. Therefore, one should not satisfy a curiosity rather than get rid of a natural anxiety. This is a motivation and a goal of the discussions about "the end". However, human being is inclined to escape from knowledge, and civilization helps him/her with it. Undoubtedly, the fear of death comes from the unknown Thus, this inevitability causes a strong feeling of anxiety; moreover, it is so strong that people cannot endure it. That is why people usually prefer ignorance. How can one become aware of something knowing that everything will eventually disappear?
Indeed, science, culture, and ideology do not give satisfactory answers. A person stays with death tete-a-tete. This fear is not justified; it is completely irrational and cannot be explained. Although some philosophers believe that the fear of death is strong and meaningful because it is impersonal (Feldman, 1994, p. 128). It is impracticable to resist the unknown because it is difficult to imagine demise in a form of a person or a phenomenon - it is simply nothing with which a human being does not have anything to do. Therefore, attaching a "face" to the fear of death and explaining its existence, a person rationalizes it. Moreover, rationalizing the irrational, a person is able to accept a fact of his or her being.
Epicureanism and Feldman's Argument about Fear of Death
"Become accustomed to the belief that decease is nothing to us. For all good and evil consists in sensation, but death is deprivation of sensation (Feldman, 1994, p. 128). Epicurus also argues that if one hold the opinion that decease for a human is nothing then mortality of life will become a delight not because it will be added to the infinity of time but because it will be taken away from a thirst for immortality. Epicureanism calls for getting rid of the fear of death by changing an attitude towards death. Accepting the end as a kind of common phenomenon that does not bring pain and suffering, a person can get rid of the fear of death, which makes it difficult to live and enjoy life. Epicurus states that a human who is able to get rid of death becomes a supreme being who lives in absolute happiness and derives pleasure from each lived moment (Feldman, 1994, p. 129). Feldman examines the paragraphs of the "Letter to Menoeceus" and notes a fact that "Epicurus's hedonism comes out fairly clearly in his claim that "all good and evil consist in sensation" (Feldman, 1994, p. 131).
Feldman emphasizes that Epicurus was a hedonist and his teachings consisted in understanding the world through the senses. For example, if a thing or a phenomenon does not bring a person pain or suffering, it becomes automatically positive for him. Quoting Epicurus, the author argues that the basis of the Epicurean philosophy is a fact that death for human is not something bad as a person does not feel pain and suffering in the hour of death. "Each person stops existing at the moment of death" (Feldman, 1994, p. 132). It means that if a person does not feel pain during death then the end is not a bad thing for him or her.
Considering all Epicurus' arguments, Feldman defines a hedonistic nature of his beliefs. Analyzing the rules that state that death is not a bad thing for a human, the author cites a poisoned candy as an example of something that does not bring pain but kills (Feldman, 1994, p. 133). Based on the analysis of Epicurus' arguments, one can say that all bad things are associated only with pain and the good ones are associated with pleasure respectively. It follows that if death does not bring pain (and it is impossible to know for sure), it is not a bad thing for a human being. The current analysis leads to the fact that Epicurus' statements concerning death are inexact. If a person dies, he or she cannot experience pain or suffering after death. This confirms the "good" side of death indicating Epicurus' correctness.
However, Feldman continues to disagree with Epicurus, claiming that his concept is not entirely true since it is based on a traditional, logical database (Feldman, 1994, p. 140). If one talks about the fact that death does not imply something wrong since it does not bring suffering and pain in the end, it can be stated that it does not bring pleasure or deprives a person of pleasure later too. Thus, death has a negative nature as it deprives a person of further opportunities to enjoy (Feldman, 1994, p. 140).
The Irrationality of Fear of Death
It is logical to assume that fear of death has an irrational nature. Considering the two viewpoints on death and thanatophobia of Epicurus and Feldman, it can be stated that the ancient Greek philosopher called his disciples to abandon the fear of death because it hinders to perceive life in a right way. However, Feldman sees a hedonistic subtext in Epicurus' arguments, i.e. decease is not a bad thing for a person because it does not bring pain and suffering. Contrary to this argument, the modern philosopher argues that death (and not only) can be injurious for a person without bringing pain and suffering. This statement is based on a rejection of the traditional logic. The key is that each event or action has much more faces. For instance, a phenomenon cannot bring a person pain and negative feelings at first, but the consequences of this phenomenon can interfere with a person to experience joy in the end.
Perhaps, the knowledge of a certain decease makes a person live. However, people cannot fully understand its nature and purpose. Therefore, thanatophobia can be called irrational because it does not have a direction. Maybe that is why this fear is so important for the continuation of the human race; moreover, this fear can determine the level of human consciousness. However, if one considers Feldman's analysis of the Epicurean viewpoint of death, it can be concluded that death can be considered a bad thing as a person does not experience any feelings. Therefore, if a phenomenon does not bring human pain and suffering, it does not mean that it is something good (Feldman, 1994, p. 140).
Conclusions
In conclusion, thanatophobia has an irrational nature and this implies an importance for humans. The hedonistic viewpoint on death asserts that if a person is dead, he or she cannot experience pain and suffering, thus, decease is nothing and people should it. However, any phenomenon that does not bring pain or suffering can be bad for a person too, if one considers this phenomenon in the wide sense. Feldman's work on Epicurus' arguments of death suggests that death eliminates pain and suffering, but it also deprives a person of the possibility to experience pleasure and happiness in the future.
Reference
Feldman, F. (1994). Confrontations with the Reaper: A Philosophical Study of the Nature and Value of Death. Cary, NC, USA: Oxford University Press.
