“Life” and “death” as fundamental categories in culture

This article discusses the concepts of life and death as fundamental categories in culture. Their fundamental significance lies in the formation of views on the meaning of life. This approach is illustrated by the example of Western and Eastern cultures. The Western style of thought is characterized by reliance on science and logic.It is in Western philosophy that “life” and “death” are singled out as special categories and systematically interpreted. Their content is variable due to the dynamism of Western culture.In general, the phenomenon of life has become the highest value in it.Because of such dynamics, views on the meaning of life have changed.The main approaches to their interpretation are the immanent and transcendental approaches.The content of the categories “life” and “death” in Eastern culture derives from mythology and religion.Here the life of an individual is not regarded as the highest value, therefore the meaning of his life is associated with a certain function in society and self-improvement for finding harmony with the world.