The existential meaning of death and reconsidering death education through the perspectives of Kierkegaard and Heidegger

This study explores the views of death in the ideas of Kierkegaard and Heidegger to discuss the educational meaning of death and the direction of death education. What both thinkers have in common is, first, that death is not universal, but that each individual is independently aware of his or her o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEducational philosophy and theory Vol. 52; no. 9; pp. 973 - 985
Main Author Shim, Seung-hwan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Abingdon Routledge 28.07.2020
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Anxiety
Curricula
Death
Death & dying
Death education
Education
Educational materials
existentialism
Experience
Heidegger
Hopelessness
Instructional Materials
Kierkegaard
Meaning
Philosophy
Reflection
Security (Psychology)
Teaching Methods
Transformative Learning
World Views
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Summary:This study explores the views of death in the ideas of Kierkegaard and Heidegger to discuss the educational meaning of death and the direction of death education. What both thinkers have in common is, first, that death is not universal, but that each individual is independently aware of his or her own death. Second, both thinkers observe that we should face death and suffer from anxiety or despair, a kind of existential limitation, which serves as an opportunity for real existence. Third, both thinkers observe that individuals can transform their lives and create an opportunity to renew their relationships with people or things around them through their existential insights into death. Death education based on the viewpoints of the two thinkers should first awaken each individual to his or her own authenticity and individuality by means of the associative perception of life and death. Second, each student should actively face the 'crisis of death' without circumventing it or escaping from it, thus, learn to have a sincere attitude toward one's own life and relationships with others. To this end, it is necessary to use various educational materials related to death for regular subject curriculum and non-subject experience activities to induce students to ask existential questions and to reflect on them on their own.
ISSN:0013-1857
1469-5812
DOI:10.1080/00131857.2020.1716334