The sociality of dying: Contextual philosophical reflections on end-of-life care

Sociality is an ineluctable aspect of the human condition. Both the meaning of our existence in the world and the meaning of the end of our existence come to us from the other and their death. Sharing these meanings in joy, grief and angst fills the moments of our existence with purpose and takes the sting out of our distress, most of all the distress of dying. The essay critiques social practices that increasingly make possible the denial of care (social death) to the dying or providing them with uncompassionate hyper-care in contexts like India, where a palpable sense of community and family life are still very significant to many people. It pleads against social currents that make such ontologically and culturally significant ways of living disappear, opening up a chasm of meaningless suffering.