Real (and) Imaginal Relationships with the Dead

Although philosophers have written much about death, appreciating the nature and the value of the relationship of the living to our dead is an aspect of human life that we seem to have neglected. 1 Like many feminist ethicists, I have argued explicitly for the value of relationships simpliciter, especially from the perspective of the ethics of care; I am influenced by philosophers including Virginia Held, who says that ''to the ethics of care, our embeddedness in familial, social, and historical contexts is basic,'' 2 and Diana Meyers, who describes the relational self as ''the interpersonally bonded self,'' for whom ''relationships are sources of moral identity.'' 3 And some metaphysicians have analyzed the ontology of dead persons as relata, including Niall Connelly and Palle Yourgrau, whose accounts I rely on in this &