How Non-being Haunts Being: On Possibilities, Morality, and Death Acceptance

The human world is a complex tapestry of "what was," "what will be," "what might be," and "what should be," filled with desires, dreams, fictions, historical figures, planned events, and absent presences. Corey Anton's book explores how death acceptance liberates moral possibilities and reveals the fundamental oneness of living beings with space. It argues that meaning and moral agency depend on forms of non-being and that thoroughgoing death acceptance opens opportunities for self-understanding and compassion regarding our common fate.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 220 pages
Publication date: 15 May 2022
Publisher: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press

The human world is a complex tapestry of "what was," "what will be," "what might be," and "what should be." It is a realm filled with desires, dreams, fictions, historical figures, planned events, spatial and temporal distances, and the absence of presences and present absences. In his profound work, How Non-being Haunts Being, Corey Anton delves into the depths of human existence, drawing upon a diverse range of thinkers such as Jean-Paul Sartre, Henri Bergson, Kenneth Burke, Terrence Deacon, Lynn Margulis, R. D. Laing, Gregory Bateson, Douglas Harding, and E. M. Cioran. Through his meticulous exploration, Anton unveils the moral possibilities unlocked by embracing death acceptance, demonstrating how living beings, who are not merely of space but are fundamentally on loan to themselves, can attain a sense of liberation.

This multidisciplinary masterpiece delves into the intricate ways in which absence, incompleteness, and negation permeate life, language, thought, and culture. It sheds light on the profound dependence of meaning and moral agency on forms of non-being, challenging the notion that death acceptance inevitably leads to nihilism. Rather, Anton argues that thoroughgoing death acceptance opens up avenues for deeper self-understanding and a greater capacity for compassion regarding our shared fate. With its thought-provoking insights and stimulating conversations, How Non-being Haunts Being offers a treasure trove of understanding into the human condition, inviting readers to embark on a journey of introspection and reflection.

Weight: 308g
Dimension: 228 x 151 x 12 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781683932864