Death and the Afterlife

What is the philosophical topic of death and afterlife about?

Questions concerning whether consciousness survives bodily death and what happens after death.

What is the soul?

The immaterial aspect of a person often thought to survive physical death.

What is dualism?

The view that mind/soul and body are distinct substances.

Who is most associated with substance dualism?

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What is Cartesian dualism?

The view that the mind is a non-physical substance distinct from the body.

What is materialism?

The view that only physical matter exists and consciousness depends on the brain.

What is interactionism?

The view that mind and body causally interact.

What is property dualism?

The view that mental properties are non-physical but depend on physical substances.

What is the soul in Plato's view?

An immaterial, rational essence that survives bodily death.

What is Plato’s analogy of the charioteer?

The soul has reason (charioteer) controlling spirit and appetite.

What is Plato’s view of death?

The liberation of the soul from the body.

What is Aristotle’s view of the soul?

The soul is the form of the body and cannot exist separately.

What is hylomorphism?

Aristotle’s view that beings are composed of matter and form.

What is the Christian view of the afterlife?

Belief in bodily resurrection and eternal life with God.

What is resurrection?

The raising of the body after death to a transformed life.

What is judgement after death?

The belief that God evaluates human lives after death.

What is heaven?

A state of eternal union with God.

What is hell?

A state of separation from God.

What is purgatory?

A temporary state of purification before entering heaven.

Which tradition strongly teaches purgatory?

Roman Catholicism.

What is reincarnation?

The belief that the soul is reborn into a new body after death.

Which religions teach reincarnation?

Hinduism and Buddhism.

What is karma?

The moral law of cause and effect governing rebirth.

What is the eschatological verification principle?

The idea that claims about the afterlife could be verified after death if they are true.

Who proposed the eschatological verification principle?

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What is Hick’s Replica Theory?

The idea that a person is recreated in a resurrection world identical to their earthly identity.

What is bodily resurrection?

The belief that the same body is restored after death.

What is the problem of personal identity?

The question of what makes someone the same person over time or after death.

What is psychological continuity theory?

Personal identity is based on memory and consciousness.

Who is associated with psychological continuity theory?

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What is the memory criterion of identity?

A person survives if they have connected memories of their previous life.

What is a criticism of resurrection beliefs?

The difficulty of explaining how identity survives physical death.

What is a materialist objection to the afterlife?

Consciousness depends entirely on brain activity.

What is a religious argument for the afterlife?

Justice requires life after death to reward/punish moral behaviour.

What is Hick’s pluralism in relation to afterlife?

Different religions may describe the same ultimate reality.

What is a strength of belief in afterlife?

It provides moral motivation and hope.

What is a criticism of belief in afterlife?

There is no empirical evidence for survival after death.

What is the mind-body problem?

The philosophical issue of how mental states relate to physical brain states.

What is a near-death experience (NDE)?

Reported experiences of consciousness during clinical death or near death.

What is a criticism of NDEs?

They can be explained by brain activity and oxygen deprivation.

What is the Christian hope of resurrection based on?

The resurrection of Jesus.