E-Book Overview
Providing an overview of the myriad ways that we are touched by death and dying, both as an individual and as a member of society, this book will help readers understand our relationship with death. Kastenbaum and Moreman show how various ways that individual and societal attitudes influence both how and when we die and how we live and deal with the knowledge of death and loss. This landmark text draws on contributions from the social and behavioral sciences as well as the humanities, such as history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the arts, to provide thorough coverage of understanding death and the dying process.Death, Society, and Human Experiencewas originally written by Robert Kastenbaum, a renowned scholar who developed one of the world's first death education courses. Christopher Moreman, who has worked in the field of death studies for almost two decades specializing in afterlife beliefs and experiences, has updated this edition.
E-Book Content
Death, Society, and Human Experience
Providing an overview of the myriad ways that we are touched by death and dying, both as an individual and as a member of society, this book will help readers understand our relationship with death. Kastenbaum and Moreman examine the various ways that individual and societal attitudes influence both how and when we die and how we live and deal with the knowledge of death and loss. This landmark text draws on contributions from the social and behavioral sciences as well as the humanities, including history, religion, philosophy, literature, and the arts, to provide thorough coverage of understanding death and the dying process. Death, Society, and Human Experience was originally written by Robert Kastenbaum, a renowned scholar who developed one of the world’s first death education courses. Christopher Moreman, who has worked in the field of death studies for almost two decades, specializing in afterlife beliefs and experiences, and the ways that these might affect how we live our lives, has updated this edition. Robert Kastenbaum (1932–2013) was Professor of Communications at Arizona State University. His other books include The Psychology of Death (1972, 1990, 2000); Dorian, Graying: Is Youth the Only Thing Worth Having? (1995); and On Our Way: The Final Passage through Life and Death (2004). Christopher M. Moreman is Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at California State University East Bay, and has written and edited important books on topics related to death and dying. He is the editor of The Routledge Companion to Death and Dying (2018), the author of Beyond the Threshold: Afterlife Beliefs and Experiences in World Religions (2008), and the editor of the threevolume The Spiritualist Movement (2013).
NEW TO THIS EDITION • • • • • • • •
Physician-assisted dying has been legalized in a number of states, with more likely to follow. Green, natural burial has increased in popularity, as has the choice of cremation over burial in many parts of the country. Social media has introduced new options for mourning and memorialization, and poses new questions about grief, attachment, and legacy. LGBT issues outside of HIV/AIDS-related death has begun to receive more attention from researchers, though still more work is needed. Expanded discussion of multi-cultural perspectives on death, dying, and the afterlife are added. Perspectives on assisted-dying, palliative care, and a good death are all nuanced by reference to a range of religious perspectives. Cloning as it relates both to organ donation and the potential for personal bodily immortality no longer appears relegated to science fiction. Expanded questions offered “For Further Thought” at the end of each chapter.
Robert Kastenbaum died at his home, under hospice care, on July 24, 2013. His obituary, which details not only his great influence