PHIL 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Epicurus, Counterexample, If And Only If
Lecture 4/30:
• Death
o Epicurus- all good and evil consists in sensation but death is deprivation of
sensation…so long as we exist death is not with us; but when death comes, then
we don’t exist… (from reading)
• Master Argument
o A1- if something isn’t bad for you, then you shouldn’t fear it
o A2- being dead is not bad for you
o A3- so you should not fear death
• Argument for A2
o B1- you cease to be conscious when you die
o B2- if so, then you don’t feel any pain while dead
o B3- if so, then being dead is not bad for you
o A2 (subconclusion)- so being dead is not bad for you
o A3 (conclusion)- so you should not fear death
• Argument for B3
o C1- the only things that are bad for you are painful sensations
▪ Counterexample- drugs
o C2- if so, then: if you don’t feel any pain while dead, then being dead isn’t bad for
you
o B3- so, if you don’t feel any pain while dead, then being dead isn’t bad for you
• Intrinsic vs extrinsic bads
o Something is intrinsically bad if it is bad in itself
▪ Example- not brushing your teeth, which leads to plaque
o Something is extrinisically bad if it is bad because of something else
▪ Example- plaque leads to pain
o C1- the only things that are bad for you are painful sensations
o C1*- the only things that are bad for you are (i) painful sensations orbe (ii) things
that lead to painful sensations
• Revised argument for B1
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