The Evolution Of Attitudes Towards Death Throughout History

The modern society has adopted an ignorance-based outlook on death. Academics have suggested that the modern west has evolved and turned into an environment of ignorance when it comes to matters concerning death. There is much disagreement around the assertion that western society denies dying. The history of death attitudes is revealed through historical evaluation. These changes are a result of industrialization and capitalism’s rise. Calhoun and colleagues. 2012).

The past was not able to see death as restricted and inhibited as today. Many believe that today’s society rejects death. In the past, death was considered an essential phase of human life. It is futile to try to ignore it. Philippe Aries (1914-1984), a historian, studied the evolution of Western society’s views on death. It was concluded that there were four distinct periods in the history of human perceptions about death and humanity. Aries claims that death concepts have been resisted evolution for the past two millennia. The world is always changing and the traditional outlook on death was like an embankment for indolence, permanence and indifference. Aries recognized the commonalities between the three first periods, which spanned more than a thousand years ago and the nineteenth-century. These periods did not evolve in a single day, but took many centuries.

Aries named his first period “tame death” in the middle of the Middle Ages. This was the age when death was accepted as a fact of life. Although people didn’t wish to die, it was commonplace. To prepare for the inevitable, rituals were often used. The next period, or “One’s own Death”, covers the late Middle Ages to Renaissance. It spans the 11th through the 15th centuries. This thought process was similar to the first. The belief that there is a short life and that it will end with death was the reason rituals were performed. The major distinction was made through beliefs about the value of life and how actions would affect the afterlife. The death period was a period of consciousness that increased awareness and appreciation of the existence before death. The third period, which was established between the eighteenth century and the twentieth century, was called “Thy Death”. The concept of death changed dramatically during this period. The ‘other’ became the focus of concern, creating relationships and connections with the deceased (Kellehear 2008). It was difficult to let go and there was an increase in emotion about death. Graves became more open to mourning and were able to accommodate this. The idea of death moved from the dying to those left behind.

The fourth epoch, with its ideals and influences continuing to influence the 20th century, is finally seen as the dominant era. According to Aries, such times are characterized by wild and illicit death. The social control of death is so far removed it is no longer a personal experience. In order to maintain happiness and psychological wellbeing, societies have silently suppressed or ignored notions about risk management.

Aries establishes standards for cleanliness that are compatible with the ignorance brought about by happiness. It is clear that “rapid advancements in comfort, privacy and personal hygiene have made people more sensitive.” No longer can our senses tolerate the sights, smells and sounds that were commonplace in early nineteenth-century life. The physical consequences of death have now been imposed upon the bodies of those around them, as well as the dying. Ideals of death are now viewed as an indecent and grimy occurrence. In the 1930’s, the dying were first removed from society and put in these settings. This was done to conceal the suffering of the dying and prevent them from reaching wider society. Certain workforces (i.e. Hospitals, funeral directors, and other care home staff are now qualified to deal with death. What is called medicalization has led to death becoming sterilized and procedurally administered, creating an isolation from the rest of society.

The ideals of society require that the horrible stain and tarnish associated with the death of a loved one must be removed. Aries believes life is modernized because it ignores the pain of suffering and allows for ignorance to be ignored. The protection of death is a fundamental value in today’s society. Socialization teaches children how to view death and what it means. Their biological autonomy is given up in favor of the modern philosophies and symbol systems that will immerse them into a culture of cultural immortality. This led to the concealment and hiding of pain, aching hurts, sorrows, and other emotions that result from grief related to dying. They are covered with a veil to prevent them from becoming painful and distracting.

Becker describes socialization in terms of deception. This is the act of concealing one’s true destiny and creating a false sense that one will never die (Becker 2014). This is the idea of social neurosis, which is shared among society by irrational thoughts that cheat death. While this idea can be found in certain parts of Western culture, an honest examination of the diverse societies and cultures created during modernity disproves it. This is not the case in many Western cultures. They have different beliefs, practices and rituals regarding death. This essay does not have the space to discuss these practices in detail, but they might be used to raise doubts about the validity or credibility of the death denial claim.

Aries, Dastur and others argue that death’s meaning has been altered over the last several decades. This has made it less solid and can now be altered to make it easier to avoid and alleviate. “Death has been deemed an unnatural, essential phenomenon.” With medicalization, death, illness, or disease is now considered to be ‘objective’ and not a part of daily life. A major change in the way people view death has been the refusal to be present to it or to watch it happen. Modern society views the ideal death as old age in their sleep. It is common to administer medication to the dying to mask their pain and alert them to the fact that they are near death. Walter (2008) contends that medicine doesn’t intentionally remove the emotion of death from public discourse. It fails to be able to feel empathy for the private, family-related pain. The holistic palliative approach is a way to provide personalized, caring attention during the entire medical process.

Through medicalisation science, many theorists linked it to societies that deny death. This has enabled a technological approach to be created. Technology failures in saving the body are now considered to be the reason for death. The ideology of death prevention by preserving life is the dominant view of health care systems. These ideologies are now raising ethical questions (Zimmermann & Rodin 2004, 121-128). It is a poor practice to insist on control when it comes to preventing death for those without hope. It is important to distinguish between prolonging life and prolonging the death process. These forms of malpractice are often criticized. However, laws regarding medicalisation vary from one place to another. Oregon provides assisted suicide for those who need it. Another way in which society is controlled by the states and their governmental power to kill is through denial. This is the final form of control. It can be seen as corporal punishment, the illegalization or euthanasia of suicide. Everybody lives under the state’s control.

But, while there are many links to medicalization that support a society of death denialists, a small shift of perspective may also be necessary. A period of such significance in the rationality and standing of scientific findings, it would seem that denial about death is abnormal. Science has proven that death is inevitable. Society accepts it through the use of medicine to prolong lives (Pearson 1991). Medicalization is used to control death. It allows society to confront it head-on and address problems of prolonged suffering that can be reduced or prevented. This control is limited and acceptable only after all technological interventions have been made.

The dying may have additional quarrels with the living. They will live a happy and healthy life. Although it is true that this statement negates the death, it can also act as a defense mechanism. The dying will accept their fate and will use the last moments of their lives to console those who will be left behind. (Becker 2014). The living are more comfortable discussing death than the people who will soon be dying.

Medicalization allows society to attempt to stop death. In this way, it gives the culture a sense that medicalization is heroic. People may view the fight for life as heroic acts of resistance against evil in order to live a moral life. This gives meaning to people’s life and helps them separate from their mortal animal kin. Becker’s assertion of existential tension is not in keeping with the reality of modern society. Thus, claims and ideas regarding godliness and medicalization are not viewed as reflecting the wider world view. Through medicalisation and other efforts to save one’s life, Western culture has a sense that there is resolution and determination. However, this is not due to misplaced notions that immortality, but capitalism as well as the commoditization and institutionalisation of working methods. Weber uses notions like rationalism as an example of modern economic life. Weber shows how modern society is structured through accounting systems that are used to measure and evaluate profit and worth. People work now not only for survival, but also for the possibility of their own death. This capitalism-based consumerism is yet another example of the State’s control over their citizens’ lives. This society is now a reality. It has been adapted from Max Weber’s “Iron Cage” Theory. Increased rationalisation has led to the entrapment of individuals in systems and process within society that are solely based on technological productivity, rational designs, and the control of the dominant body.

The individualization and secularization of society are closely related to the medicalization death. Weber considers this a form ‘disenchantment of the world’ in which society is unable to comprehend its collective meaning as it was in the past. With the introduction and use of rationality and capitalism, society changed from a community-based system to one that encourages everyone to self-reliance. It was possible to privatize matters and thus eliminate the death site. It is no longer a matter of collective mourning as it was in the Middle Ages. It is now institutionalised. Modern society rarely sees people die at home. The majority of deaths happen in hospitals or care facilities, which are often hidden from the public. They are considered private matters that the family and state will deal with.

This is a continuing practice despite changes in Western society’s rituals. Cemeteries are a place where the dead are kept together. This area can be ignored during daily life, but it can be recalled during grief times for some comfort. Embalming is an American practice that preserves the body of the deceased, giving them a temporary sense of eternal life. It preserves the façade of life, providing consolation for the family. Cremation was an accepted method of funeral service in Europe at the turn of the 20th century. Incineration of the dead is a completely different process to embalming. This eliminates all traces of the dead and doesn’t attempt to change them. The denial thesis is reinforced by the fact that the families are no longer required to visit the burial site after the funeral. The deceased are completely extinct from society and only exist in the past memories. These new ways of dealing the dead can be viewed as new rituals created by capitalism in some areas. These new rituals are not meant to be death denigrating, but to grieve the loss of loved ones and let go. The rituals that are used to remember the deceased do not erase their memory. However, it is in their memories and those of their families that their spirit will remain. The new ways of mourning and accepting death may have been privatized by the development of self-awareness, reliance, and not being solely a death denial process.

The rise in scientific thought that was spawned by the enlightenment created an ontological sense of insecurity that spread throughout society. Religion and faith provided security in the past. It was necessary to fill the gap left by the fall of religion in society. This is often referred to as the establishment or denial. The driving factors have changed, however, as you look closer at society’s advancements. Beck 1994 indicates that society has shifted to a system of risk prevention. Individuals are now forced to consider the possibility that danger could arise at any given moment. Through all the ceremonies, processes and services discussed, it could be concluded that society does not deny their inevitable death, but is trying to delay it.