Plainly written, with timely illustrations and references, PHILOSOPHICAL THINKING ABOUT DEATH AND DYING introduces students to all the major metaphysical and ethical issues concerning death and dying. What exactly is death? What are the implications of knowing that we will die? Is death bad and the fear of it rational? Does life continue after bodily death? Does parapsychological research support life after death? How much control should we have over our own deaths? Can we ever have a duty to die? What's the relation between death and life? Such questions are organized around three themes: the nature of death, life after death, and voluntary death. Braced with a solid introduction and conclusion?the former prompted by Tolstoy's THE DEATH OF IVAN ILYICH, the latter by the modern challenge of nihilism?the text's twelve trim chapters provide students a concise and sturdy guide to the basic problems of both the nature of death and end-of-life decisions.