Lyda Garza
Staff Photographer
Harris B. Bechtol, lecturer of philosophy, will discuss his newly published book, “A Death of the World: Surviving the Death of the Other,” 3:30-5 p.m. Sept. 18 in Room 102 of Classroom Hall.
The event is free and open to all students, faculty and staff interested in exploring how mourning is an ongoing process of learning to live in the world differently after loss.
“I started thinking about the ideas shortly after a really close friend of mine passed,” Bechtol said. “That was a turning upside down of my world that was not good. It’s then when I started having big questions for me.”
In his book, published this year by State University of New York Press, Bechtol argues that the death of someone is more than just the absence of their presence. Instead, it represents the loss of a world of meaning, reshaping grieving individuals, experiencing time, space and themselves.
The book examines philosophy, poetry, psychology and epigenetics. Epigenetics is the study of how events such as stress and trauma can influence the way our genes work without changing DNA itself.
“This event is a great opportunity for students interested in philosophy to not only learn about the book but also see how philosophy can become part of everyday life,” Bechtol said.
For more information, email Harris.Bechtol@tamusa.edu.
To RSVP for the event click here https://jagsync.tamusa.edu/event/11621935
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article misspelled a name. It has been corrected.
