مرگ‌آگاهي و كاركردهاي آن از ديدگاه غزالي و آلبر كامو

Ghazali an‎d Albert Camus, on death awareness an‎d its roles

فلسفه و كلام اسلامي

Human beings are inherently truth-seeking entities, capable of self-awareness. Reflecting on human truth, creation, an‎d death are fundamental issues deman‎ding precise contemplation. Awareness of death an‎d humanityʹs ultimate fate has always held particular significance. A crucial question arising here is the impact of death-awareness on the trajectory an‎d perspective of human life. It is evident that a deeper human awareness of death will lead to a more meaningful life, a meaning encompassing all individual an‎d social aspects of human existence. This thesis analyzes the thoughts of a devout Muslim thinker, Muhammad al-Ghazali, an‎d a modern Western philosopher, Albert Camus. Both thinkers emphasize human death-awareness an‎d enumerate various functions for it. Ghazali holds a monotheistic view, examining death from a religious an‎d divine perspective, which he believes possesses functions leading to felicity. For the death-aware individual, the world is a transient place. This awareness is utilized for patience in the face of difficulties an‎d detachment from worldly attachments, ultimately leading to true prosperity an‎d bringing peace in both this world an‎d the hereafter. Camusʹs perspective, conversely, is secular, examining death within the confines of this world. Camus denies all transcendent elements, including God an‎d the afterlife, believing that to escape the absurdity of this world, humans must embrace death-awareness to overcome lifeʹs inherent meaninglessness. For him, death-awareness leads to functions such as finding meaning, achieving freedom, an‎d turning towards ethics. The most significant difference between these two thinkers lies in their ontological foundations. Ghazali examines death in relation to the afterlife, centered on monotheism, while Camus approaches the topic of death by denying metaphysical factors. Among the various similarities in their views on death-awareness, their shared perspective on it as a determining factor in the meaning of life can be considered their most important commonality. The analysis of death-awareness from the perspectives of Ghazali an‎d Albert Camus is not merely a comparison but rather the opening of a dialogue between two distinct intellectual frameworks, which paves new horizons for researchers.

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