life after death Flashcards
what is immortality of the soul- plato
idea that the soul is separate from the physical body. the soul is the spiritual part of human beings. Plato believed the soul is separate it is immortal, whilst the body is perishable. the soul is part of the world of forms, in which nothing changes, whereas the body is part of the world of change. he believed in reincarnation, that the life and death cycle is similar for the soul to the sleeping and walking cycle for the body.
what is reincarnation
this is a belief within religions such as Hinduism, the scripture known as the Vedas which have teachings on reincarnation. within Hinduism life is a continuous chain of life and death known as palingenesis. the soul itseld is independent of the body and changes form with each life cycle, which is known as the transmigration of souls.
the shashira is the body which can perish and is subject to change, where as the atman is the soul which is inmutable. the next form taken of a life cycle is a consequence of moral choices made by an individual, and this is known as karma. individuals seek to become moral in order to better their soul to eventually achieve moksha which is liberation from the never ending life cycles.
what is the replica theory - by john hick
hick argues that we cannot conceive of an individual without a body. therefor id there is an after life there must be a body.
hick uses three different scenarios regarding the death of John Smith and replicas of this man appearing with the same DNAS, memories and everything the original John had. he poses the question as to whether or not we would accept this new replica man as being John smith. by stipulating only one replica at a time Hick somewhat avoids the potential issue of obvious dualism within identity which would have resulted in a a paradox.
what is a criticism of hicks theory
vardy critiques this idea on the basis of value- he argues that a copy of something is not as valuable as the original. the new john would not have the same value as the old.
Davies stipulates that the new argument does little to offer comfort.
what is resurrection
this is the returning to life after the occurrence of death. eg jesus Christ. this is bodily resurrection; the belief that the physical body will be resurrected by God. within Christianity the different states of differing bodies depend on whether or not they are destined for heaven and hell..
what are the three different ‘qualities’ for resurrection
impassibility- those resurrected are physically beyond the pain and suffering experience of humans and unable to experience of humans and unable to experience suffering.
glory/brightness- to experience this requires a body; however, this is described as manifesting in a variety of different ways
powerful- the heavenly bodies of the resurrected are freed from the feeble limits of earthly bodies
what is rebirth theory
rebirth is the notion that upon death the mind and body (namarupa) is given a new body and is born again, possibly in the world or another realm. it emphasises the idea that no aspect of the previous being is transferred to the new one. a common example used to explain is the lighting of a candle from another candle during which no substance travels from ne candle to the other. the end of the cycle of rebirth is known as nirvana. to obtain this individuals must understand the nature of ultimate reality. this involves fully understanding the nature of suffering (dukkha), impermanence (anicca) and anatta ( no soul)- the three marks of existence.
there is a similar notion of karma within Buddhism but there is more emphasis on the intention behind the moral actions. the outcome of the actions matter but the intention or intended outcome is more important.
