Death

Freedom over death

Death is a certainty. But choosing how and when we depart is a modest opportunity for freedom – and dignity

Michael Cholbi

The last letter

Condemned to death by firing squad, French resistance fighters put pen to paper. Their dying words can teach us how to live

Daniel R Brunstetter

A hunter’s lyrical reflection on the humbling business of being mortal

6 minutes

We’ll meet again

The intrepid logician Kurt Gödel believed in the afterlife. In four heartfelt letters to his mother he explained why

Alexander T Englert

Even in modern secular societies, belief in an afterlife persists. Why?

9 minutes

The world turns vivid, strange and philosophical for one plane crash survivor

16 minutes

Toby ponders the inner lives of the sheep that roam atop his parents’ graves

6 minutes

A funeral director takes in bodies that social stigma leaves unclaimed

11 minutes

Is grandad on the moon?

We no longer have a clear sense of how to introduce our children to death. But their questions can help us face up to it

Pragya Agarwal

Final thoughts

Do deathbed regrets give us a special insight into what really matters in life? There are good reasons to be sceptical

Neil Levy

Sooner or later we all face death. Will a sense of meaning help us?

Warren Ward

Marcus Aurelius helped me survive grief and rebuild my life

Jamie Lombardi

This mortal coil

The fear of death drives many evils, from addiction to prejudice and war. Can it also be harnessed as a force for good?

Jeff Greenberg