Finitude, distress and otherness: Phenomenological analysis of physical death and the survivor´s experience

Abstract

This article approaches problem of death not only as a biological closure event, but as the fundamental structure that gives meaning to human existence. Through a critical dialogue between the ontology of Martin Heidegger, the vital agony of Miguel de Unamuno, the metaphysical mystery and the death of the other by Vladimir Jankélévitch, and the analytic philosophy of Thomas Nagel. The tension between the rational certainty of the goal and the affective resistance of the will is examined. The research supports that given the impossibility of experiencing one´s own death firsthand, phenomenal access to finitude occurs through the death of others, revealing that the subject´s identity is intrinsically constituted by otherness and memory.