Abstract

In this work, I explore the conceptions of death held by Chinese thinkers of the classical period and examine the pictures of the self that underlie these conceptions. The dissertation focuses on thinkers from the Warring States period, from the 6th--3rd century BCE. I begin by looking at Confucius and one of his earliest followers and defenders, Mencius. Most of the work is focused on the thought of Xunzi, a Confucian, and Zhuangzi, a Daoist. I look at how each thinker approaches the following subjects: Thoughts about death; Facing one's own death; Coming to terms with the death of loved ones; The relationship of conceptions of death to pictures of the self, and the ethical and soteriological implications. ;The dissertation is a comparative enterprise in two ways: First, it compares the general Confucian and Zhuangzian approaches to understanding death and the self . Second, it explores the Confucian and Zhuangzian pictures in light of the challenges and, frameworks of a number of modern Western thinkers. I conclude by looking at how the Chinese traditions might fruitfully contribute to our current understanding and treatment of death. ;What each thinker conceives the proper attitude toward death to be rests, I argue, on his underlying conception of the self. In turn, these understandings of the self depend upon a number of factors which give rise to and support them---in particular, conceptions of temporality and nature. I show that these Chinese thinkers come to terms with alienation and finitude through recognizing, cultivating and, for Confucians, expressing symbolically, various forms of connectedness and continuity. Confucian modes of connection---family and lineage; tradition; students and friends; leaving behind a name through accomplishments and character---are grounded in structured narrative temporality and selfhood, and depend upon our ability to remember. Zhuangzian modes of connection---the larger natural world; nondual experience cultivated through meditative practices and skillful absorption---are grounded in momentary, natural cycles or "wandering" temporality and the letting go of self, and depend upon our ability to forget