ABSTRACT
In the nineteenth-century United States, the good death was a powerful and pervasive concept. Many people believe that a good life prepares the way for a good death. This chapter presents a more extended example from our own society that raises the good death/bad death issue in a way that has become increasingly frequent. A person who regards death as destination and fulfillment may have a different set of expectations and priorities than one who regards death as end or outcome. Life in Utopia was purposeful and coherent. Most later utopian writers drew an implicit curtain around the death-bed scene; they did not care to think about it. Utopia has many admirable features that were remarkable for their time. It has serious claim as a model design for a better place to live. Every religious tradition has certain teachings as to how a person ought to behave in life, and means of providing meaning to the lives of its adherents.
