Grief, Michael Cholbi
Grief, Michael Cholbi
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Grief
A Philosophical Guide

Author: Michael Cholbi

Narrator: Mike Lenz

Unabridged: 7 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 01/18/2022


Synopsis

Experiencing grief at the death of a person we love or who matters to us—as universal as it is painful—is central to the human condition. Surprisingly, however, philosophers have rarely examined grief in any depth. In Grief, Michael Cholbi presents a groundbreaking philosophical exploration of this complex emotional event, offering valuable new insights about what grief is, whom we grieve, and how grief can ultimately lead us to a richer self-understanding and a fuller realization of our humanity.

Drawing on psychology, social science, and literature as well as philosophy, Cholbi explains that we grieve for the loss of those in whom our identities are invested, including people we don't know personally but cherish anyway, such as public figures. Their deaths not only deprive us of worthwhile experiences; they also disrupt our commitments and values. Yet grief is something we should embrace rather than avoid, an important part of a good and meaningful life. The key to understanding this paradox, Cholbi says, is that grief offers us a unique and powerful opportunity to grow in self-knowledge by fashioning a new identity. Although grief can be tumultuous and disorienting, it also reflects our distinctly human capacity to rationally adapt as the relationships we depend on evolve.

About Michael Cholbi

Michael Cholbi is Chair in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. He has written and edited many books, including Suicide: The Philosophical Dimensions. He is the founder of the International Association for the Philosophy of Death and Dying (IAPDD).


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bob on August 29, 2022

Summary: A philosophical discussion of the nature of grief, why we grieve, and its importance in our lives. The journey of the last several years has been a time of grief for many of us, losing loved ones to the pandemic or to other causes. A host of books have been written over the years, addressing......more

Goodreads review by David on February 10, 2022

It's mostly just a philosophical approach to grief. So yeah, rather scholarly and unemotive. Does raise some good questions to think through.......more

Goodreads review by Eccy on March 06, 2024

Academic but Irrelevant to those who seek to understand grief I have read nearly every text going on grief - from grief memoirs (of which there are dozens) to philosophical texts (of which there are few). This book, seeking to show that grief is something rational - and weirdly using Camus’ Mersault......more

Goodreads review by Kaci on February 02, 2023

Grief: A Philosophical Guide by Michael Cholbi For a heavy topic, this was a delightful, interesting read. Cholbi dedicates the book to developing a philosophical account of grief, which involves identifying its scope, differentiating it from other emotions, articulating how it can contribute to our......more

Goodreads review by Warren on August 05, 2023

There are a lot of self-help books out there for a grief but none of them, as far as I've seen, have really ever delved into the philosophy of grief. This book has. Written by a philosopher and if you ever read any books on philosophy you know how philosophers write, but this is actually semi-readab......more