ComparisonoftheThanatopsisinWesternCivilizationandinChineseCivilizationLVGuang-zhaoDepartmentofTranslation,SchoolofForeignLanguages,DUTIntroductionAlongthejourneyoflife,deathisaseductivetopicwhichdoesarouseourcuriosityandthethirstforknowledge,yetitistabooedinmanycases[1].IntheclassicmovieTheSevenSeals,whentheDeathaskstheKnightwhetherheisreadytodie,heanswers:“Mybodyisready,butIamnot.”Encounteringthesamequestion,mostofthepeopleperhapsanswerthesame,becausewehavenoideaonwhatthedeathis.WhoamI?WhereamIgoing?Wekeepconsideringwhetherthereisanyotherworldafterourdeaths,however,onlyparadoxesandpuzzlescanbemade,ratherthanresults.Intermsoftheultimatethinkingofdeath,Epicurussaid:“Deathdoesnotconcernus”;Feuerbachsaid:“Deathisthelastreflectionoflife”;Confuciussaid:“Whohasneverunderstoodthemeaningoflife,knowsnothingaboutdeath”;Chuang-Tzusaid:“Lifeanddeatharetwodifferentpartsofdestiny”.Thethanatopsisisfundamentallybuiltonthebasisofcultureandcivilization,withthecharacteristicofmystery,religionsandethics,whereexistsregional,historicalandculturaldifferences.ThispaperiscomparingthethanatopsisinWesternCivilizationandinChineseCivilization.ClassicalPeriod(Before476ADinthewestand221BCinChina)ClassicalPeriodsawaneraofremarkableintellectualandculturalgrowththroughouttheentireworld.Inthewest,Greekworld,especiallyAthens,becamethemotherlandofdemocracyaswellastheholyplaceofdebateandphilosophy.AftertheRomanscametotheirprosperity,thecentreofthoughtwastransferredintoRome,untilthecollapseoftheRomanEmpire.Nevertheless,theGreco-Romancivilizationdidestablishthebasisofwesternphilosophy.Intheeast,theEmperorofZhouDynastyfailedtobuildapowerfulcentraladministration,andtheterritorywasactuallygovernedbyvassalswhokeptfightingagainsteachother.Yet,itisinthepoliticalchaosthatphilosophersbegantothinkandcomeoutwithrulingideologies.Hundredsoftheorieswerepromoted,includingConfucianismandTaoism,whichmadetheSpringandAutumnPeriodaheydayofChineseintellectualhistory.Amongthewholeworld,ClassicalPeriodwasaneraofpoliticalandmilitaryisolationaswellasculturalandphilosophicalflourish.Thefirstwesternthanatopsisdatesbacktoover2500yearsago.Thales,thefounderofMiletus,putforwardatheoryonthebasisof“Penta-rhei”[2],whichmeansthateveryelementisacycleandthat“water”isthefoundationoftheuniverse.Hebelievedthateverythingisanimateandsoulsareinacircleoflifeanddeath.Therefore,facingthedeathweneednottobeafraid.Inhistheory,soulsareperpetual,whichinfluencestheEuropeforthousandsofyears.Socrates,however,didnotagreewithThalesonthecycle.InPlato’sApologyforSocrates,thegreatphilosopherdeclaredthat“OnlyGodsknowwhichoneisbetterbetweenlifeanddeath”.Hebelievedthattherearetwosituationafterdeath—oneisvacancyandtheotherisenteringanotherworld.Inthefirstsituation,deathmeansnothingtopeople,justlikesleeping,andinthelattersituation,deathmeansanewlifeinaworldbeyondourobservation,bothofwhichshouldnotbeafraid,because“Deathcouldbebetterthanlife”[3].Inthefollowingdecades,hisdisciplePlato,oneofthegreatestphilosophersinancientGreece,furtherdevelopedhisideas.Hebelievedthat“Deathisacollapseofnaturalbody”[4],whichinheritedtheideaofPythagoras.“Deathisthesouloftheimmortal,whichisreleasedandentertheworldofIdeasbyleavingtherestraintofnaturalbody.[5]”AccordingtoPlato,Ideasaretheperpetualyetinvisible,andeverythingtangibleintheworldisthereflectionofIdeas,whichisna...
