Life After Death

Some philosophical issues, questions and

problems

Main points to consider....

• St Paul – new spiritual body, dead raise like Jesus = resurrection possible because if God can raise Jesus = raise anyone.

• Plato – dualist: soul eternal/metempsychosis - reincarnation• Hindu – atman/samsara• Aquinas: Soul part of Body but can survive without it.• Kant: Summon Bunon not attainable = LAD• Materialist: some argue – body/mind psychological unity so body required

after death too.• A.G. Flew – view own funeral• Hicks Replica theory!! Rationalist – logical argument based on continuity of

personal identity. Peter Vardy – replica x20• Descartes• Aristotle: soul part of whole• Past lives memories proof of past existence• NDE – evidence of soul exterior to body• Dawkins – No LAD only evolution of genes.

3 main avenues for argument

Belief in Resurrection

Main traditional belief in Christianity:• Jesus had a bodily resurrection• Jesus spoke of a physical life after death in which there would

be reward and punishment for deeds done• God as ‘Father’- humans are in an ongoing relationship with

God. • “I believe in the The Resurrection of the Body…And the Life

everlasting” 1662 Book of Common Prayer (defining book of C of E)

• But other religions too… (evidence in burials/ grave goods - Egyptians, etc)

• “Man is flesh-animated-by –soul”- JAT Robinson

John Hick’s Replica Theory – defence of Christian belief in resurrection• Death and Eternal Life (1976)

• A person is a ‘psycho-physical unity’

• Hick proposed his ‘Replica Theory’- he claims when a person dies a replica is created somewhere else

• Rejects Dualism, he is a materialist /monist – only one substance

• Hick accepts there is a problem with continuity of personal identity after death

• By ‘replica’ he means a recreated person- he does not think it is logically possible for the original (decaying body) and replica to exist simultaneously or for there to be multiple replicas- AND for personal identity to be maintained

• Remember that an omnipotent God can do anything

Hick’s ‘thought experiment’

• Consider your response to the following question:• 1. John Smith (a close friend of yours) suddenly

disappears from his home in London, and a person exactly the same immediately reappears in New York

• The person in New York is exactly similar in bodily and mental characteristics, memory, fingerprints, stomach contents, beliefs and habits. They believe themselves to be John Smith

• Would it be reasonable to call this person the same person as the one who disappeared?

Hick’s ‘thought experiment’

• 2. In this example, it is exactly the same, except John Smith dies in London and a person exactly like him appears in New York

• Would it be reasonable to call this person the same person as the one who died?

• John Hick acknowledges that this incident would be very odd, but that it would be reasonable to regard the Replica as the same person who died

Hick’s ‘thought experiment’

• 3. The final case is exactly the same, except John Smith dies and reappears in a different world

• The person would regard themselves as the same person as the one who had died

• Like waking up from sleep in another place• Would it be reasonable to call this person the

same person as the one who died?

Plato’s Approach: Dualist: two separate entities (body/ soul separate)

• Soul = part of Noeton/ experiences Forms (Truth)• The soul is eternal, perfect, changeless, immortal• Pre-existent/ Anamnesis (remembering Forms)

• Divisions of the soul:• Rational- intellectual/ thinking• Appetitive- body’s needs• Spirited- our will/ wants/ desires• Rational needs to take control of irrational parts to live virtuous life• All three parts of the soul always in conflict = Chariot metaphor: 2 horses

and charioteer

Mind:• Found in later writings like Phaedo• Reasoning aspect• Processes info from senses

The soul and judgement

• The Republic Book 10• The Myth of Er• Describes souls of dead being judged in

underworld• Choosing appropriate body for next birth• Pre-existence and Post-existence• Metempsychosis/ reincarnation/ rebirth

• The cycle of opposites: big/ small, sleep/ awake, good/ bad, birth/ death

The Body

• Body= part of horaton.

• A burden and a hindrance• “The body is the source of endless trouble”• requirement of food • diseases • fills us with loves and lusts and fears and

endless foolery• “takes away from us all power of thinking at

all.”

Evaluation

• Persuasiveness of Plato’s ideas rely on acceptance of the rest of his philosophy

• Non-empirical, rationalist approach- is this the best kind of knowledge?

• Isn’t the body more helpful/ important than Plato allows?• Problem arises because all 3 elements are seen as necessary• But appetitive and spirited elements seem to be connected to

bodily life (no longer dualist?)• Issue of personal identity if only rational element survives

• Clearly dualist at beginning later complicated and more problematic

• Major influence on Christian thought- immortality of soul• Noeton/ heaven?• Later ideas of reincarnation are similar to eastern religious

notions of rebirth

Aristotle

• Soul: - psyche

Soul:• Not a substance – matter• Gives life to body• Gives body Form (structure and shape)• Inseparable unity with the body• Aristotle gives the example of an eye: if the eye were

a body its soul would be the capacity to see• In ‘De Anima’ does not focus on immortality of soul• Soul does not survive after death – not separate unity

Hinduism and Buddhism

• Samsara cycle• Atman: soul• Karma• Break free when reach enlightenment:

become one with God (Brahman)

• Buddhist thought- numerous hell realms• Consequence of karmic actions

Can life after death be verified?

• It is logically impossible for a person before death to verify their own post-mortem existence = concept remains unverifiable.

• However, it will be eschatologically verifiable- once in the afterlife its existence will be known.

• John Hick illustrated this with his parable of the Road to the Celestial City.

• LAD may be verifiable in this life if we believe in certain experiences such as NDE’s, etc.

Christian Beliefs: Immortal Soul - disembodied

• Gives humans their individuality• Can continue after death • “The tombs broke open and the bodies of many

holy people who had died were raised to life.” Supported by Matthew 27:52-53

• Fundamentalist Christians maintain belief in bodily resurrection, based on Biblical teaching (embodied)

• Liberal Christians place more emphasis on spiritual resurrection (disembodied)

Augustine’s fiery furnace: Hell

• His ideas influenced Christian thought for centuries

• The dead are embodied and burn everlastingly

• Most ideas of hell however are disembodied punishment

• Nightmarish ideas rejected by some later Christians

Islam: Hell

• Called ‘jahannam’ - derives from ‘hotness’• Qur’an has many references to this and

‘jannah’, Paradise/ Garden• Levels of heaven and hell according to

severity of actions• Some in hell may be released on Judgement

Day after they’ve been purified

Alternative idea of ‘eternal life’

• Some reject any continuation of individual personal identity after death

• Only God is eternal. • Idea of ‘new birth’ found in Christianity, especially John’s

Gospel- it is love, compassion and quality of relationships that are important in THIS life not an afterlife.

• Kierkegaard supports this view- not denying possible afterlife, but suggesting humans can ‘live in the eternal’ in this life.

• DZ Philips agrees- timeless quality of moral excellence is what is eternal about us

• Charles Hartshorne ‘The Logic of Perfection’- what survives is simply a memory of the individual in the Mind of God

Problems of identity

• Identity of the self before death and self supposed to survive

• A. G. Flew: If Joe is witnessing his own funeral, who is the ‘Joe’ observing and ‘Joe’ being buried?

• Obvious solution is to say Joe observing is disembodied spirit

• Problem is that we only have proven experience of our ‘selves’ as embodied selves

Afterlife vs. problem of evil?

• Would a loving God condemn anyone to hell, or would he ensure everyone would enjoy heaven? Is this fair?

• If there is LAD, should it be exclusive? VIP entry only?

• Isn’t it against God’s nature and Jesus’ teachings to judge, reward, punish?

• Are they real places or just metaphors or symbols?

• Is the prospect of a heavenly afterlife the ultimate theodicy?

Why is the concept of an afterlife important?

• Brandon believes our awareness of our own mortality leads humans to seek escape and security

• Brown (1960) suggests if we believe in a good and loving God there is no contradiction since such a God wants to continue fellowship beyond the grave.

Is life after death a meaningful concept?

• Flew argues it is not.• Death and life are two mutually exclusive

categories.• In a plane crash there are those who survive

and those who die, but no one who ‘survives death’.

• Flew argues pronouns and proper nouns- I, me, you, father, brother, Derek- refer to real, living human beings, not to souls, dead persons, or beings to whom you cannot give a personal identity.