Philosophy Now Forum

Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Sun Sep 14, 2025 8:05 am

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 3:58 pm All fears are the fear of death, and any derivative can be linked back to the primary fear of death. Your thoughts?

It goes further than that.

Empirically, it is evident there is a biological teleonomic drive to preserve the species.
To do do, all living species [so human species] are 'programmed' [DNA wise] with the following;
- the drive for reproduction of the next generation
- the fear of death, very strongly within reproductive age, tapering pass that,
this two primal drives are to facilitate the preservation of the species.

The above is such that each individual carry the responsibility to ensure the survival of the species which is very forceful, tsunamic so to say within the individual's psychic.

This fear of death is fundamental and it is one of the force that drives all human activities from the subliminal level.

With self-awareness and so awareness of inevitable mortality there is a potential paralysis of life from this very powerful tsunamic force -the primal fear of death. Fortunately, humans are adapted with inhibitors to modulate this forceful fear of death. That is why we don't hear of everyone fearing death all the time but only at times and when triggered by thoughts or sight of death.

As with human nature, there are degrees to the effectiveness of the inhibitors to suppress the fear of death. Those who have severe damage or weak inhibitors end up with thanatophobia a mental illness that need psychiatric help.

Point is, all philosophical views of members here are subjected to the fear of death; with theists highly influenced by it thus needing salvation to soothe the pains from the fear of death. Philosophical realists clinging to an absolutely mind-independent reality are also highly affected by the forces of these primal fear of death.
Wokeism is another lot who are highly affected by the fear of death to the extent some will kill those who do not agree with them [nb: Charlie Kirk].

Those in the know [many philosophical anti-realists] of the above facts strive to improve the efficacy of their inhibitors, so that they can be modulated to improve their well-being optimally.

Impenitent wrote: ↑Sun Sep 14, 2025 8:02 pm

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 3:58 pm All fears are the fear of death, and any derivative can be linked back to the primary fear of death. Your thoughts?

death by calculus...

-Imp

LuckyR wrote: ↑Sat Sep 13, 2025 3:36 am

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 13, 2025 12:01 am

commonsense wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 11:33 pm There are things that are worse than death. Pain and torture are to be feared. Being maimed or paralyzed is to be feared.

In these cases, and perhaps for us all, death is deliverance and an escape from a horrible reality. The fear of death can be overcome by courage and/or pain and death's inevitability, as a pattern that can no longer maintain itself, and it is ultimately given the gift of release. There is an overcoming that solidifies my point. All fear is the fear of death until it is overcome by suffering, pain, and resignation.

Which is another way of saying: some fears aren't of death.

Martin Peter Clarke wrote: ↑Tue Sep 16, 2025 11:25 pm

LuckyR wrote: ↑Sat Sep 13, 2025 3:36 am

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 13, 2025 12:01 am

In these cases, and perhaps for us all, death is deliverance and an escape from a horrible reality. The fear of death can be overcome by courage and/or pain and death's inevitability, as a pattern that can no longer maintain itself, and it is ultimately given the gift of release. There is an overcoming that solidifies my point. All fear is the fear of death until it is overcome by suffering, pain, and resignation.

Which is another way of saying: some fears aren't of death.

But they aren't fears.

MikeNovack wrote: ↑Tue Sep 16, 2025 2:24 pm

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 16, 2025 6:11 am
This is all very impressive, but try to tie it back to the topic.

Uh, you don't think CULTURE plays a role in things like "fear of death"?
For example, in the sub-culture "military" one of the most important parts of training into this subculture is to replace that with "fear of letting down one's buddies". More generally, culture has a great deal to say about how people of that culture fear death.

LuckyR wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 1:13 am

Martin Peter Clarke wrote: ↑Tue Sep 16, 2025 11:25 pm

LuckyR wrote: ↑Sat Sep 13, 2025 3:36 am

Which is another way of saying: some fears aren't of death.

But they aren't fears.

Fears of living (not dying) are fears.

LuckyR wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 1:13 am

Martin Peter Clarke wrote: ↑Tue Sep 16, 2025 11:25 pm

LuckyR wrote: ↑Sat Sep 13, 2025 3:36 am
Which is another way of saying: some fears aren't of death.

But they aren't fears.

Fears of living (not dying) are fears.

Martin Peter Clarke wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 6:57 am

LuckyR wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 1:13 am

Martin Peter Clarke wrote: ↑Tue Sep 16, 2025 11:25 pm
But they aren't fears.

Fears of living (not dying) are fears.

What fears?

LuckyR wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 8:56 am

Martin Peter Clarke wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 6:57 am

LuckyR wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 1:13 am
Fears of living (not dying) are fears.

What fears?

I don't know how to be more plain than: "fears of living". Help me help you.

Martin Peter Clarke wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 8:58 am

LuckyR wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 8:56 am

Martin Peter Clarke wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 6:57 am
What fears?

I don't know how to be more plain than: "fears of living". Help me help you.

Help yourself. Where do they feature above?

LuckyR wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 9:03 am

Martin Peter Clarke wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 8:58 am

LuckyR wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 8:56 am
I don't know how to be more plain than: "fears of living". Help me help you.

Help yourself. Where do they feature above?

Are you related to Age? Say what you have to say, one liner queries don't cut it.

Alexiev wrote: ↑Tue Sep 16, 2025 4:00 pm

Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Sun Sep 14, 2025 8:05 am

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 3:58 pm All fears are the fear of death, and any derivative can be linked back to the primary fear of death. Your thoughts?

It goes further than that.

Empirically, it is evident there is a biological teleonomic drive to preserve the species.
To do do, all living species [so human species] are 'programmed' [DNA wise] with the following;
- the drive for reproduction of the next generation
- the fear of death, very strongly within reproductive age, tapering pass that,
this two primal drives are to facilitate the preservation of the species.

The above is such that each individual carry the responsibility to ensure the survival of the species which is very forceful, tsunamic so to say within the individual's psychic.

This fear of death is fundamental and it is one of the force that drives all human activities from the subliminal level.

With self-awareness and so awareness of inevitable mortality there is a potential paralysis of life from this very powerful tsunamic force -the primal fear of death. Fortunately, humans are adapted with inhibitors to modulate this forceful fear of death. That is why we don't hear of everyone fearing death all the time but only at times and when triggered by thoughts or sight of death.

As with human nature, there are degrees to the effectiveness of the inhibitors to suppress the fear of death. Those who have severe damage or weak inhibitors end up with thanatophobia a mental illness that need psychiatric help.

Point is, all philosophical views of members here are subjected to the fear of death; with theists highly influenced by it thus needing salvation to soothe the pains from the fear of death. Philosophical realists clinging to an absolutely mind-independent reality are also highly affected by the forces of these primal fear of death.
Wokeism is another lot who are highly affected by the fear of death to the extent some will kill those who do not agree with them [nb: Charlie Kirk].

Those in the know [many philosophical anti-realists] of the above facts strive to improve the efficacy of their inhibitors, so that they can be modulated to improve their well-being optimally.

The notion that there is some "programmed" drive to "facilitate the preservation of the species" is belied by history, biology and genetics. Are the Israelis driven to "preserve the species" when they slaughter Palestinians? How about the Germans in the Holocaust? How about male lions, who kill the lion cubs fathered by others when they take over a pride of lionesses?

IN fact, members of a species compete most directly with each other for scarce resources. They eat the same food, farm the same land, and mate with the same potential parents. Because they are so alike, they compete more directly with members of their species than with members of any other. Hence a long history of violence.

In addition, genetic "success" is sometimes facilitated by death -- if you can save three of your siblings by an altruistic act that kills you, you will facilitate your genetic "success" more effectively than saving yourself and allowing them to die.

Also, the notion that animals are "programmed" by their genes is problematic. Nature vs. nurture is inevitably an unresolvable issue -- both are doubtless involved in behavior.

mickthinks wrote: ↑Wed Sep 17, 2025 12:57 pm Some people fear intimacy. I think that is derived from a fear of life.