Doubt, Disorientation, and Death in the Plague Time.

Area of Science:

• Medical Humanities
• Philosophy of Medicine
• Existential Psychology

Background:

• The experience of severe illness, such as potential Covid-19, can provoke profound existential questions.
• Understanding human responses to mortality is crucial for medical and psychological care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the intersection of acute illness, existential doubt, and the concept of 'dying well'.
• To reflect on the nature of mortality as a disorienting aspect of human existence.

Main Methods:

• Personal narrative and reflective essay.
• Philosophical inquiry into existential themes.

Main Results:

• An illness experience, possibly Covid-19, highlighted the inherent disorientation of human mortality.
• The study suggests that confronting mortality's chaotic nature is more conducive to wisdom than seeking definitive philosophical reconciliation.

Conclusions:

• Acceptance of the disorienting and often irrational aspects of death may offer a more realistic path to wisdom.
• The art of dying well might be found in embracing the inherent uncertainty and 'deranging character' of mortality.