Suicide and martyrdom are closely intertwined with Korean social and political processes. In this first book-length study of the evolving ideals of honorable death and martyrdom from the Chosŏn Dynasty (1392–1910) to contemporary South Korea, interdisciplinary essays explore the changing ways in which Korean historical agents have considered what constitutes a sociopolitically meaningful death and how the surviving community should remember such events. Among the topics covered are the implications of women’s chaste suicides and men’s righteous killings in the evolving Confucian-influenced social order of the latter half of the Chosŏn Dynasty; changing nation-centered constructions of sacrifice and martyrdom put forth by influential intellectual figures in mid-twentieth-century South Korea, which were informed by the politics of postcolonial transition and Cold War ideology; and the decisive role of martyrdom in South Korea’s interlinked democracy and labor movements, including Chun Tae-il’s self-immolation in 1970, the loss of hundreds of lives during the Kwangju Uprising of 1980, and the escalation of protest suicides in the 1980s and early 1990s.

This book brings together the relevant interdisciplinary and method elements needed to form a conceptual framework that is both pragmatic and rigorous. By using the best and often the latest, work in thanatology, psychology, neuroscience, sociology, physics, philosophy and ethics, it develops a framework for understanding both what death is – which requires a great deal of time spent developing definitions of the various types of identity-in-the-moment and identity-over-time – and the values involved in death. This pragmatic framework answers questions about why death is a form of loss; why we experience the emotional reactions, feelings and desires that we do; which of these reactions, feelings and desires are justified and which are not; if we can survive death and how; whether our deaths can harm us; and why and how we should prepare for death. Thanks to the pragmatic framework employed, the answers to the various questions are more likely to be accurate and acceptable than those with less rigorous scholarly underpinnings or which deal with utopian worlds.

Although Hume and Johnson told profoundly different views of religion, their political thinking has much in common. Their reformist thought differs radically from what might be called the transformist thought of Marat, who hoped the French would become disinterested citizens whose civil religion was patriotism.".

Providing an understanding of the relationship with death, both as an individual and as a member of society. This book is intended to contribute to your understanding of your relationship with death, both as an individual and as a member of society. Kastenbaum shows how individual and societal attitudes influence both how and when we die and how we live and deal with the knowledge of death and loss. Robert Kastenbaum is a renowned scholar who developed one of the world's first death education courses and introduced the first text for this market. 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. Learning Goals Upon completing this book, readers should be able to: -Understand the relationship with death, both as an individual and as a member of society -See how social forces and events affect the length of our lives, how we grieve, and how we die -Learn how dying people are perceived and treated in our society and what can be done to provide the best possible care -Master an understanding of continuing developments and challenges to hospice (palliative care). -Understand what is becoming of faith and doubt about an afterlife

"Several decades of scholarship by now have demonstrated that Roman thinkers have developed in new and stimulating directions the systems of thought they inherited from the Greeks, and that, taken together, they offer a range of perspectives that are of philosophical interest in their own right. This collection of essays pursues a maximally inclusive approach, covering not only authors such as Augustine, but also poets or historians. It pays attention to the mode in which these works were written (giving rhetoric too its due) and their often conscious reflections on the process of translating, or transferring Greek ideas to Roman contexts"--

Being oblivious to the motivational nuances behind human behavior could lead one to overlook the distinction that a good action does not always indicate a good character. Conversely, this book argues that such nuances are paramount. Focusing on character over consequences is vital because motivational differences have fundamental implications for the welfare of the individual and society. Drawing on Aristotelian virtue ethics, the book argues that the utilitarian economic rhetoric, the rise of identity politics, and the growing commodification have allowed an illusion that moral and economic lives can be detached to take root in our culture. The book provides a robust philosophical argument articulating the inadequacy of the modern conception of morality (as a set of universal rules) that underlies economics and many modern-day institutions and aims to create a greater awareness of the connection between virtuous character and leading fulfilled lives. Integrating contemporary empirical findings with theoretical/philosophical insights, the book develops a coherent and convincing framework that could help transform the welfare ideology that underlies economic policies and modern institutions. This book is essential for anyone interested in questions of ethics in economics and related fields, including welfare economics, microeconomics, political economy, institutional economics, evolutionary economics, social economics, and behavioral economics.

Joyful Path of Good Fortune presents the complete Buddhist path to enlightenment in a form that is easy to understand and put into practice. Enriched with stories and illuminating analogies, it presents the essential meaning of all Buddha`s teachings in the order in which they are to be practised, giving step-by-step guidance on all the meditations leading to full enlightenment.