Transcript Chapter 10 - Routledge

The self, death, and the afterlife
Dualism,
materialism,
monistic pantheism,
and the no-self
Dualism: the self is composed of two
substances usually conceived as the
mind (or soul) and the body
 Substance(mind-body) dualism
Descartes
“The ghost in the machine”
 Thomistic dualism
Aquinas
Soul as “source of life and ordering
principle”
Materialism: the self is composed of the
physical only; there is no immaterial soul
or mind
 Identity theory
Mental properties are physical properties
The “mind” is just activity of the brain
 Functionalism
A black box with inputs and outputs
A living computer
Monistic pantheism: the self is unified
with reality, which does not have any
distinctions. Also, everything is God.
Advaita Vedanta (Hinduism)
The reality of Brahman
The illusion of Maya
The enlightenment of Moksha
The truth of Atman
No-self: the self does not exist, for nothing
has individual or independent existence;
there are no substances
 Buddhist
metaphysics
Belief in substantial self is illusory
The illusory effects of karma can be
overcome through enlightenment
 Reincarnation: the
view that the
conscious self transmigrates from one
physical body to the next after death
 Karma: usually
connected with the
doctrine of reincarnation, karma is the
idea that we reap the good and bad
consequences of our actions, either in
this life or in another
 Resurrection
Jews
Christians
 The
nature of
God
Human aspirations
God’s love
 The
nature of
the soul
Plato
McTaggart
 Near death experiences
Widely experienced
Commonly characterized
Specifically realized
 Dependency
on the brain
Physical brains are necessary for
consciousness
 Personal
identity
We are distinguished by physical features
How is one soul distinguished from another?
 Eternal
misery
Eternal life might well be boring, pointless and
unfulfilling
An important concern for all belief systems
 What
view of the self do you find most
persuasive? What are your reasons?
 Do
 Do
you believe in life after death? Why?
you agree with the claim that eternal
life would end up boring and pointless?
What kinds of activities might keep it
forever interesting and meaningful?