Price's afterlife theory Flashcards
price believes that life after death is…
conceivable
what does price say the afterlife is like
gives comparison to dreams- you have sensory perception and are not bound by physical aspects. so afterlife may be just like that- would be like a set of mental images, you wouldn’t even know you have died (would feel like you have a body)
is price’s afterlife shared?
the afterlife is personal to you as it is made up of your own memories. but he does postulate there being dream worlds as telepathy may work better without physical laws- people may be able to find eachother if they are like minded
where is the afterlife located according to price
he suggests that it is not in a different location, it is instead a different type of consciousness. just as in a dream we only perceive physical spaces
what is Price’s example to show how the image world is not ‘real’ in physical characteristics but in how it would be real to those who experience it?
an analogy between a ‘real’ piece of silver and a piece of brass that has been plated to look like silver. the plated brass is not ‘real’ silver but it is still a real object- it is only ‘unreal’ in the sense that it gives the impression of being something it’s not.
criticism of price’s theory - how it goes against traditional christian teaching of resurrection
the idea of mental worlds in which people live after death, worlds which are created by each individual, is in direct contradiction to beliefs about resurrection of the body (jesus’ resurrection in the gospel stories). they argue that if life after death was really as price suggests then god would have said so in revelation
criticism of price’s theory- how it doesn’t fit with christian heaven and god
his theory would disappoint religious believers as there is no ultimate reality or god- you are instead in a kind of dream-world . the afterlife for religious believers is when we see things as they truly are: ‘then we shall see face to face’- Paul 1 Corinthians 13:12. price makes the afterlife an illusory world.
criticism of price’s theory- about mental health/age
what happens to babies who only live for a few hours?- they don’t have the mental capacity to form proper memories so what is their world like?
what about if you are blind from birth? do you still have an afterlife without any visual imagery?
what about those with severe mental illnesses- if they are constantly tortured by self hatred and depression then their mental image worlds they create for themselves will not be pleasant- through no fault of their own- does not seem just that those who suffer in this life should continue to suffer
how does hick criticise price?
if we all live after death in our own mental self-created worlds then we have little genuine contact with each other. hick questions the quality of this sort of life and asks whether this really means ‘living’
how does hick agree with price?
he approves of Price’s suggestion that during life after death the individual might continue to grow and learn, because this fits in with his own belief of a ‘vale of soul-making’. for hick moral development continues until everyone is saved
