The Meaning of Mourning: Perspectives on Death, Loss, and Grief

Grief is a universal human response to death and loss. Mourning is an equally universally observable practice that enables the bereaved to express their grief and come to terms with the reality of loss. Yet, despite their prevalence, there is no unified understanding of the nature and meaning of grief and mourning. The Meaning of Mourning: Perspectives on Death, Loss, and Grief brings together fifteen essays from diverse disciplines addressing the topics of death, grief, and mourning. The collection moves from general questions concerning the putative badness of death and the meaning of loss through the phenomenology and psychology of grief, to personal and cultural aspects of mourning. Contributors examine topics such as theodicy and grief, reproductive loss, mourning as a form of recognition of value, the roots of grief in early childhood, grief in COVID-times, hope, phenomenology of loss, public commemoration and mourning rituals, mourning for a devastated culture, the Necropolis of Glasgow, and the "art of outliving." Edited by Mikolaj Slawkowski-Rode, the volume provides a survey of the rich topography of methodologies, problems, approaches, and disciplines that are involved in the study of issues surrounding loss and our responses to it and guides the reader through a spectrum of perspectives, highlighting the connections and discontinuities between them.

ISBN-13: 9781666908923

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Lexington Books

Publication Date: 01-06-2023

Pages: 264

Product Dimensions: 6.22(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.83(d)

Mikołaj Sławkowski-Rode is assistant professor in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Warsaw and research fellow at Blackfriars Hall, University of Oxford.

Table of Contents

Introduction Mikołaj Sławkowski-Rode Chapter 1: Hume and Doctor Johnson on Death Jerry Valberg Chapter 2: The Problem of Mourning Eleonore Stump Chapter 3: What Can the Roman Catholic Liturgies of the Dead Offer Mourners: Solidarity with the Deceased and Hopeful Protest? Richard Conrad, OP Chapter 4: Toward a Philosophical Theology of Pregnancy Loss Amber L. Griffioen Chapter 5: Mourning: A Phenomenology Balázs M. Mezei Chapter 6: Mourning and the Recognition of Value Cathy Mason and Matt Dougherty Chapter 7: Grieving and Mourning: The Psychology of Bereavement Colin Murray Parkes Chapter 8: Bereavement, Grief, and Mourning John Cottingham Chapter 9: Mourning and the Second-Person Perspective Mikołaj Sławkowski-Rode Chapter 10: Mourning Academic Mentors and Mentees Douglas J. Davies Chapter 11: Mourning and Memory, Private and Public Dimensions Anthony O’Hear Chapter 12: The Work of Mourning Roger Scruton Chapter 13: Sidgwick’s Dilemma Leslie Chamberlain Chapter 14: “Israel but the Grave…” The Art and Architecture of Mourning Alexander Stoddart Chapter 15: The Difficult Art of Outliving Raymond Tallis About the Contributors Show More