Man has created death. A Few Reflections on Animals, Humans, and Mortality

Tadeusz Sławek

doi:10.31261/ZOOPHILOLOGICA.2019.05.14

Published: 2019-12-25

No. 5 (2019)

Man has created death. A Few Reflections on Animals, Humans, and Mortality

Tadeusz Sławek

Section: ARTICLES

https://doi.org/10.31261/ZOOPHILOLOGICA.2019.05.14

Abstract

The essay approaches the problem of a possible differentiation between the death of the animal and that of the human being. Stepping beyond the Cartesian sharp dichotomy of the human and animal life, we follow the line of such philosophers as Montaigne, Spinoza, and Hume, who were radically critical towards the unwarranted claims of anthropocentric phantasies. Interpreting poetic texts of Emily Dickinson and Ted Hughes we demonstrate that reflecting upon animality we can get a new insight into the place and meaning of death in our lives as well as into foundations of our speech.

Keywords:

animal , human , death , time , end

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LITERATUROZNAWSTWO / Artykuł

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Sławek, T. (2019). Man has created death. A Few Reflections on Animals, Humans, and Mortality. Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies, (5), 167–183. https://doi.org/10.31261/ZOOPHILOLOGICA.2019.05.14

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Tadeusz Sławek

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7148-5063

Affiliation:

University of Silesia Poland

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Tadeusz Sławek – prof. dr hab., absolwent filologii polskiej i angielskiej na Uniwersytecie Jagiellońskim. Związany z Uniwersytetem Śląskim od 1971 roku, rektor Uniwersytetu w latach 1996–2002. Wraz z kontrabasistą Bogdanem Mizerskim autor i wykonawca esejów na głos i kontrabas. Zajmuje się historią literatury angielskiej i amerykańskiej, literaturą porównawczą, zagadnieniami życia publicznego. Ważniejsze publikacje: Calling of Jonah. Problems of Literary Voice (wspólnie z Donaldem Weslingiem), Maszyna do pisania. O teorii literatury Jacquesa Derridy (wspólnie z Tadeuszem Rachwałem), U-bywać. Człowiek, świat, przyjaźń w twórczości Williama Blake’a (2001), Antygona w świecie korporacji (2002), Ujmować. Henry David Thoreau i wspólnota świata (2009), NIC-owanie świata. Zdania z Szekspira (2012), U-chodzić (2015), Nie bez reszty. O potrzebie niekompletności (2018). Tłumacz, pisarz i publicysta.

No. 5 (2019)
Published: 2019-12-31

ISSN: 2719-2687

eISSN: 2451-3849

10.31261/ZOOPHILOLOGICA

Publisher

Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego | University of Silesia Press

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Man has created death. A Few Reflections on Animals, Humans, and Mortality

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Keywords:

Tadeusz Sławek

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