To Philosophize is to Learn How to Die?

Saitya Brata Das

Those who apply themselves to philosophy in the proper
way are doing no more nor less than to prepare themselves

for the moment of dying and the state of death – Plato.

Philosophical thinking, as it is thinking of existence, is essentially finite

thinking. This is to say that as thinking of existence, philosophical
thinking is essentially also thinking of finitude. This ‘also’ is not the
accidental relationship between existence and finitude. Rather, to think
existence in its finitude, insofar as existence is finite, is to think existence in its existentiality. Philosophy that gives itself the task of thinking the relationship between existence and finitude, must in the same gesture, be concerned with its own finitude: to philosophize is not only to think the finitude of existence, but the very finitude of thinking that thinks finite existence.
To philosophize is not only to philosophize the finitude of existence as such, but also in so far as philosophising itself is a task which is essentially in itself finite. To assume as the task of thinking the finitude of existence is to think the very finitude of philosophical thinking: this is the profound relationship that exists between existence and philosophy, which is that philosophizing existence and an existential philosophy are essentially finite. This is perhaps what Socrates says
of philosophizing: ‘to philosophize is to learn how to die.’ “To philosophize is
to learn how to die”: this is to say, to philosophize is to learn that philosophy
and existence are essentially finite.
Philosophy and existence belong to finitude and gifts of finitude; therefore to philosophize is to learn how existence is this gift. To be able to learn how existence is this gift of finitude, to be able to assume this gift that makes existence essentially finite, which is to be able to
assume existence at all, is to be able to die.’ Learning to die’ then comes to
signify the ability of dying, which is in the same gesture, the ability of existing:
existence, and dying at the end must be this ability, of existing and dying.
Philosophizing must provide, then, the learning of this ability: to be capable of death and existence. To be capable of death is to master it, to be equal to it, to
surpass or transcend it and to be immortal. There seems to be a paradox here
which we must bring to thought. If to philosophize is to learn how to die, to
be equal to or master death, it thereby means to be immortal, to be able not to
die, to be capable of immortality; by learning to die, by learning to be capable
of death, we become capable of not-dying, or of immortality. To learn to die is
to learn how not to die.