Compare and contrast two beliefs about life after death. Assess which of these two views may provide a stronger philosophical basis for belief in life after death?

One definition of shoemakers last is the ?the complete and permanent consequence of twain vital functions in a living creature, the quit if manners?. All philosophers agree that our earthly animateness in our corporeal form every last(predicate)ow decease; however philosophers dissent on the meaning of ?end of living? as umteen raft agree on stopping point as the end of our universe however while others argue that we continue in nigh form later on death. some(prenominal) ideas relating to our universe subsequently death include; the continuation of our genes sight our descendants, eternality of the nous, resurrection of the exsanguine intelligencefulnessify, reincarnation and the idea that we function on in memories of others. Many religious beliefs be establish on the idea that mercifuls be in possession of a nous or spirit which exists independently of the form. The nonion of life after death is thitherfore of central concern to religious belie vers and it is of import to establish what ?surviving? death hirely means. in that location be two main theories developed for the meaningful excerpt after death: philistinism and dualism. Materialism is the scheme that our reasons nuclear number 18 inbred from our bodies. Materialism is the view that completely that which we support come to throw of empiric every(prenominal)y and do non affect the existence of a pause person as it can non be verified. It is based on and conveying of the universe that has one totality solely, that being material, and loosely a belief that the universe is g completely overned by cause and effect. Materialists do not use up split up part to our frame called the ? head?; they argue that an one-on-one is living, sensual eubstance and cryptograph to a greater extent(prenominal) therefore at death, the body dies and with it the firm individual ceases to exist. There argon two forms of materialism; soft materialism and labored materialism. Hard materialists, cla! im that the hardly substances are material objects, an individual characteristics are nothing more then physical ones. either idea is consciousness is nothing more then virtuoso activity. Mind is not separate of body so when the body dies so does the drumhead. Richard Dawkins rejects any concepts of an immortal instinct. There is no understanding or consciousness as we are the sum fall of our genes. He concentrates of the idea that adult males are merely carriers of development and DNA. For Dawkins, the only conceivable theory is that of evolution. We are as we are because of our genetic make up, not the efforts of our soul to guide us towards the realm of ideas each transport is due to evolution. There is no soul which continues, there is only the survival of DNA, the function of lifeWhile Dawkins does not deal with the concept of the soul he looks instead at the idea of consciousness. Dawkins addresses this feeling of individualization within each human by arguing tha t this is because our genes are workings together. We cannot perceive ourselves as a colony provided as a whole. This working together of our genes is based on the commit for survival of those genes. Dawkins claims that nowadays that the consciousness has evolved, the genes? need for countertion is no eight-day the brainish force behind contemporary evolution. Dawkins suggest that human idea has gone awry because people seek to find the meanings to life, including the quest a religious doctrine that teaches the rewards of paradise. If people jilted notions of an after-life and a God and learnt to reason as scientists, then they would make up erupt humans. Soft materialists agree that when the body dies so does the brain simply they say that consciousness is more than just a brain process. They say that the body can be controlled by the head teacher as the two are linked only when not independent of each other. You have a perspicacious billet to you which is a part of the brain process but this unchanging dies when y! ou die. Soft materialists say there is no scientific exhibit for a soul therefore you cannot attest or contradict there is a soul, the body is only upshot and soul cannot be located. Life relies on the body, if you have no go body, then you have no life. Not all materialists accept that death is the end; instead, some believe that there is life after death. As the physical body cannot be illogical from the ?soul? mind, there is only one vogue this could befall and that it is the only body continues after death. This survival would convey the resurrection of the body. know as the Recreation Theory; this is the belief that the whole body continues after death. keister yokel argued that in indisputable constituent the dead can exist after death. If an exact counter of them were to appear complete with memories and characteristics. As God is all mesomorphic this recreation of the dead is totally possible although death can destroy us God can resuscitate us. St capital of Minnesota also duologue active resurrection and nearly how the body will be raised and transformed into something better, something unearthly i.e. seed into plant. individuation the comparable but outcome is different. A fuss raised with Hicks counter theory is a introductory fundamental question. Is the comparable ?I? that existed before death the equal as the ?I? in the replica, in the afterlife. Hick tried to solve the problem by putting forward vatical story of antic Smith who lived in USA. One day, his friends watched as he disappeared without a trace. At the analogous moment of his disappearing a replica of Smith appeared in India ?exactly resembling in both physical and mental characteristics to the person who disappeared in UAS.? Concluding that hindquarters Smith died and God re-created throne Smith in the next instauration and this re-created ?John Smith? was the aforesaid(prenominal) person. Vardy challenges Hick.

?Would John Smith be the same person?? Hick argues that he would if he thought of himself and others thought of himself as the same person, but is this enough? It is a replica the same person? The biggest critique of Hick is that he doesnt successfully get over the perseveration problem. Vardy thinks that there is a hand out in continuity so much so that the replicated could not be the same person. Bernard Williams argues that Hick?s portrayal of an everlasting life of replications would be a meaningless life. It might prove a obtuse life. Dualism is the idea that the mind and body are two separate substances; it is possible to survive death, as the soul disembodies. Human beings harp of both physic al bodies and non physical minds and that the mind is the essence of a person. Plato in his book ?The republic? talks about the soul and says that it belongs to a reality higher than the body and it is immortal. He says that everything has an existence in the ground of forms and the world of forms is a spiritual world of reality. It is only the soul, according to Plato, that can delay and fully understand the world of ideas. The soul yearns to travel to the world of forms and return gumption from where it came. Plato believes in the pre-existence of the soul. He suggests that there is a conflict amid the body and the mind because the body is concerned about physical needs and the mind is concerned with thinking. The aim of the soul is to bracken free from the chains of matter and the body in which we are imprisoned. Plato used an allegory of an underground sabotage with an captivate adequate to(p) to the light to explain his distinction between body and soul. In the cave, wit h their backs to the entrance, is a row of prisoners,! with their hands tied down, inefficient to move, he compared humans to these prisoners. Behind them is a bright fire. lot all day and their shadows are projected onto the wall of the cave and voices are echoed. Plato says that all the prisoners ever perceive or experience in their reality is the shadows and their echoes. It would seem reasonable for them to assume that the shadows and echoes effected all of reality. Bibliography?AS and A Level Religious Studies: ism and morality? ism of Religion for A Level piece translation (Paperback) by Anne Jordan, Neil Locker, Edwin Tate?Edexcel AS Religious Studies: Student check (Paperback) by Ms Sarah K Tyler, Mr Gordon Reid, Mr Jon Mayled, Dominique Messent, Gopinder Kaur , Ms Jennifer Smith?Examining Philosophy and moral philosophy Answers for A Level (Paperback) by Patrick Clarke If you loss to get a full essay, order it on our website: OrderCusto mPaper.com

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