Physical Existence after Death: PE after Death - Self, Death & Afterlife

Hard Materialism: Overall view

There is no continuing personal existence after death.

Hick's Replica Theory: Overall view

Life after death is a logical possibility.

Christianity: Overall view

Physical / Spiritual resurrection based on accounts of the resurrection of Jesus.

Why do Hard Materialists reject personal existence after death?

- A person's identity = Linked inextricably to the physical body

- When our physical life ends, so does all mental activity

Hard Materialism: Bertrand Russell

- Ideas about surviving death come from fear of death

- Continual change in us means there can be no distinctive identity

- We are simply a collection of experiences that arise out of memory & habit

Hard Materialism: Anthony Flew

- Idea of life after death = 'Linguistically incoherent"

- Talk of life after death is talking about survivors of near-death experiences, which is contradictory

- Personal pronouns such as "I" and "you" can only refer to living organisms that we can experience / interact with

Strength of Materialist views

Existence of life after death is incapable of empirical proof

Weakness of Materialist views

- Cannot be proved there is no life after death

- E.g. near-death (NDE) & reincarnation experiences might support the possibility

- Many Christians believe that Jesus' resurrection was an actual event

NDE Example: Anita Moorjani

- Was in a coma due to lymphoma

- Reported an NDE where she felt "love" and understood the cause of her illness

- Woke up and experienced a rapid, medically baffling recovery

Reincarnation Memory Example: James Leininger

- Started at age 2

- Had nightmares about a WWII plane crash

- He identified his past life as "James Huston Jr.," a pilot who died when his plane was shot down by the Japanese.

- He accurately named his aircraft carrier (Natoma Bay), a fellow pilot (Jack Larsen), and knew his sister's name (Annie), which was confirmed by Huston's surviving family.

Hick's Replica Theory

- Claims about life after death = Cognitive statements, so can be debated

- Three scenarios to his thought experiment

- Did not believe life after death would be like the third scenario, he was just showing life after death could be a logical possibility.

Hick's first scenario

A living person transported in the blink of an eye from one part of the world to another.

Hick's second scenario

A dead person in one part of the world and the appearance of a "replica" in another.

Hick's third scenario

A dead person on Earth and his / her appearance as a resurrected person in another sphere.

Strengths of Hick's Replica Theory

- If Hick is right in his belief that God = Omnipotent, then bodily resurrection must be logically possible

- His belief about future states of existence aligns with reincarnation

Weaknesses of Hick's Replica Theory

- Would the replica truly be you, or just a perfect copy?

- How does embodiment work in a new realm?

- Does not align with traditional Christian doctrines about afterlife

Christian beliefs

- Gospels & Paul's teachings = Jesus' resurrection as bodily

- Jesus' own teachings = Resurrection as spiritual

Gospels and Paul's teachings

- All record the empty tomb

- Three record resurrection appearances

- Paul lists resurrection appearances & speaks of bodily resurrection

- Nicene creed also states belief in bodily resurrection

Jesus' teachings

- In his teaching on the resurrection of Christians, he thinks in terms of continuity yet discontinuity

- Before death, we have an earthly body

- After death, we have a spiritual body

Strength of Christian belief

Liberal Christian understanding of resurrection as metaphysical claim (spiritual bodies) renders scientific investigation inappropriate.

Weakness of Christian beliefs

Literalist Christian understanding of the resurrection = Contrary to scientific fact that dead bodies don't come back to life