Life after Death Tips on remembering the important stuff Embodied - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Life after Death

Tips on remembering the important stuff

‘Embodied life post-mortem is self- contradictory.’ Discuss

• Embodied life post-mortem
• Self-contradictory

Platonic dualism

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The relationship between the body and soul

The body is the source of endless trouble to us by reason of the mere requirement of food; and is liable also to diseases which

• vertake and impede us in the search after

the true being: it fills us full of loves, and lusts, and fears, and fancies of all kinds, and endless foolery, and in fact, as men say, takes away all power of thinking.

is for Psyche

• Plato identified three distinct

elements of the psyche:

– Reason – in the mind – Emotion – in the breast – Appetite – in the abdomen

• Plato said the psyche was like a

charioteer:

– The driver = reason – The horses = emotion and appetite

• Link this to Plato’s view of society

governed by the philosopher king.

is for Legend of Er

• In the legend, Er dies

in battle and then witnesses the transmigration of the souls for the dead.

• The soul distinct from

the body making the body just a vehicle for the soul.

is for Affinity

• The distinction between

soul and body is that between the material and immaterial. The example of a tree and the idea of a tree.

• Note: Cebes suggestion

that the soul was like the music of a harp was a challenge to Plato.

is for Theory of FORMS

• Plato’s argument for the

theory of FORMS applies

• here. Our knowledge is

recollection of what we knew in the world of FORMS.

• Note: all challenges to

the Theory of FORMS can be used to challenge Platonic Dualism.

is for Opposites

• Heraclitus argued that

the Logos kept balance between two extremes, e.g. hot and cold.

• Plato argued that life

is the opposite of death.

Platonic dualism

Psyche: made up of the tripartite of the soul

(Charioteer, white horse and black horse).

Legend of Er illustrating transmigration of the

soul.

Affinity between the material and immaterial. Theory of Forms (include Recollection) Opposites (heavy/light, light/dark, life/death)

Dr Ian Stevenson

• Stevenson spent forty years socumenting

past life memories of children from all

• ver the world. He has over 3000 cases

in his files.

• Dr. Stevenson is a medical doctor with

many scholarly papers to his credit. He is the former head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia, and now is Director of the Division of Personality Studies at the University of Virginia.

• Twenty cases suggestive of

reincarnation, page 67-91: Sweet Swarnlata’s story.

Aristotelian Monism

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A is for Actuality and Potentiality

• First potentiality

– Having the ability in theory, e.g. I do not speak French but I have the natural faculties to. I do not have the potential to breath unaided under water.

• Second potentiality/first actuality

– Having the ability in practice, but not exercising the ability, e.g. I can make tortellini, but I’m not doing it right now.

• Second actuality

– Having the ability to do something and actually doing it, e.g. I can and am talking about philosophy.

R is for Rational Soul

• Reason is the highest

virtue.

• It helps us to discern
• ur Final Cause and

live a good life.

• Link to Virtue Ethics.
• This life is the only

life that matters.

I is for Inseperable: Hylomorphic soul/body unity

• The body and soul

are NOT distinct, they are unified into one thing.

S is for Stamp/Wax analogy

• The essence of the wax stamp

is to bear a seal to close and mark a letter/document.

• This is its purpose, its reason

for being. It is dictated by the EFFICIENT and can only fulfil its function with the correct MATTER and when it is pressed into the correct FORM.

• Its soul is then the purpose/

essence of the stamp.

T is for Telos: the Final Cause

Everything is made of some MATTER into some FORM by some EFFICIENT cause/ causes with some FINAL cause or PURPOSE. Use a classical example for the Four Causes

O is for On the Soul/De Anima

‘The soul is in some sense the principle of animal life.’ ‘To attain any assured knowledge of the soul is

• ne of the most difficult

things in the world.’

T is for Transcendent

• The Prime Mover is outside
• ur time and space.
• It is the efficient cause of all

things and there is no life without it.

• Anthony Kenny points out that

Aristotle's ideas of life after death are unclear. The Prime Mover certainly exists after

• ur deaths.

L is for Levels of Psyche

• 1. Nutrition

the ability to acquire and use food.

• 2. Desire

the drives of passion, sensation etc.

• 3. Perception

the ability to sense the world.

• 4. Locomotion

the ability to move and interact with the world.

• 5. Intelligence

the ability to reason.

Synoptic link with Boethius

Sensory Feeling, seeing etc Imaginative Imagining it without seeing it Rational Knowing about it and its application,

• ther

examples etc. Intellectual Perfect knowledge

• f it – the

Form of the sphere The nature of knowledge lies not in the object itself but in the knower.

E is for Eye

…Seeing …Cutting

Aristotelian Monism

• Actuality and Potentiality: The activity of the soul driving the

Body

• Rational soul: The soul in humans is the reason, not a

separate thing.

• Inseparable: Hylomorphic Soul, there is no separate entity
• Stamp: Wax Stamp (Matter and Form)
• Telos: The Final Cause of all things, their soul
• On The Soul/De Anima, where Aristotle’s writing appears
• Transcendent: The only immortality for Aristotle is the Prime

Mover’s Transcendence.

• Levels of psyche: Nutrition, Desire, Perception, Locomotion,

Intelligence

• Eye: the soul is seeing, for the axe it is chopping.

Christian Resurrection

alvin

• Calvin: all people are predestined for

Heaven OR Hell. Book of Apocalypse

• Augustine: Salvation cannot be attained

without God’s intervention (e.g. St Paul Acts 9:1-19 and Moses Exodus 3)

ick

Replica Theory Inspired by the appearances of Jesus after his death. These were bodily appearances. Note Jesus on the road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-35

esurrection

• Jesus’ resurrection was bodily, he

appeared to Thomas and showed him his hands and side. John 20:24-29

• When Jesus quarrelled with the Sadducees

he argued that life after death was nothing like life on earth: ‘You will be like angels’ Mark 12:18-27

slam

• Islam: similarities between Christian LAD

and Islamic LAD.

• Particular Judgement. Punishment for the

wicked and rewards for the good.

heep and the goats

Jesus told his parable of the Last

• Judgement. Matthew 25: 31-46

All nations will be divided as sheep from goats. The sheep will go to heaven and the goats to hell.

he nature of God

God is classically revealed as omnipotent. Can an omnipotent God condemn anyone to hell? Can a just God save everyone?

Christian Resurrection

Calvin: The argument for Predestination and Divine Election Hick: Replica theory Resurrection: bodily/spiritual, at point of death

• r on the Last Day?

Islam: similarities between Christian LAD and Islamic LAD. Sheep and Goats/Last Judgement parable The Nature of God

Materialism

Monism

• Monism is the belief

that we are a hylomorphic body and soul unity.

Anthony Flew

• We are physical

human beings and mortal and so we cannot survive death.

Theory of Replication

• John Hick’s theory.
• You are defined by

your memories and characters.

Eudaimonia

• Your purpose is living

the good life.

• Your happiest moment

is moments before death.

• Aristotle challenges

Plato’s dualism.

Russell’s River

• Bertrand Russell said

that we are like a

• river. Once the water

is gone, what is there left?

Identity Theory

• You are your brain

activity.

• When the brain dies,

you are no more.

Association between lives

• Peter Geach said it

makes no sense to talk about reincarnation.

• If there is no causal

relationship between lives there is no relationship at all.

Lock’s Prince

• John Lock gave the

example of the Prince and the Cobbler who woke in each other’s bodies.

• You are your

consciousness.

Materialism

Monism Anthony Flew Theory of Replication Eudaimonia Russell’s River Identity Theory Association between Lives Lock’s Prince