Theoretical Foundation of New Normal Thanatology

This article analyzes the change of perception of death in modern society, which became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, and seeks a theoretical foundation for a new study of life and death to overcome these issues. Modern individuals tend to treat death as a taboo, and due to hospital-centered end-of-life care and advances in medical technology, they have become unable to accept death as a natural part of life. Furthermore, developments in technology - such as the climate crisis, ecological destruction, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence - make it increasingly complicated to reflect on death, human existence, and relationships. To improve this situation, a relational ontology that transcends the modern view of death is necessary. Beings are not independent entities but are formed and dissolved within a web of relationships and environments. Death should be understood as a process in which existence returns to the whole. To provide a theoretical foundation for this perspective, the article examines Gilbert Simondon’s theory of individuation, Bruno Latour’s actor-network theory, and Donna Haraway’s concepts of string figures and staying with the trouble. Since human beings are deeply interconnected with the ecosystem, we should not attempt to evade or overcome death through technology. Instead, we must reconceptualize life and death from a communal and ecological standpoint. A mature attitude toward death must be cultivated through a balanced perspective that incorporates both objectivity and subjectivity.