INTRODUCTION
There is one thing is this world that is guaranteed to every living thing, from the smallest to the largest and from the simplest to the most complex. That singular great equalizer is death, everyone, and everything that lives will die. There are many people who struggle with that reality and in response become preoccupied with what happens after they die. Throughout time millions of people have celebrated hundreds of philosophies and ideologies have worked to explain it, justify and perpetuate beliefs regarding the afterlife (Wallace 1). Most of these explanations do not stem from science, but from religion. Many people of many faiths believe that there is an active afterlife, where souls are escorted to either a paradise or a place of punishment, like heaven and hell. However, atheists do not believe in an afterlife and, much more importantly, they do not believe in an afterlife guided by a deity or God. Life simply ceases and “you” cease to be. Again, while such perspective are primarily faith based, philosophy also possesses a viewpoint that could, at least, support the idea of some sort of existence beyond death of the body, this perspective is “dualism,” which bridges the gap between the ideas of those who believe in a possible afterlife and those who do not. In the modern era there has been an abundance of research and evidence from multiple disciplines that supports the possibility, even, the likelihood of life existing beyond the death of the body, including new technologies in the controversial field of parapsychology, medical curiosities, like the phantom limb phenomena and near death experiences. All of these elements seem to favor dualism in that living things can be both physical beings, but also, ephemeral ones.
BACKGROUND
Again civilizations throughout time have found creative and mythological ways of interpreting life, death and the afterlife (Kagan 51). Some have argued that mythology and religions are just fairy tales of primitive ideologies that should be abandoned with the advent of science. Others feel that regardless of science, the ideas about the “other-side” is possible and relevant to the whole experience of being human and can enrich lives. That said there is an established list of major pros and cons associated with the believing or not believing in an afterlife.
Advantages of Believing in Afterlife:
It provide comfort and hope to people who are dealing with death, their own or loved ones (Stenger 36).
Aids in creating a moral and ethical compass to teach to offspring (Stenger 36).
Such belief offers a sense of purpose, focus and meaning to lives lived (Stenger 36).
There have been studies that people who believe in an afterlife are often healthier than those who do not (Stenger 36).
Disadvantages of Believing in an Afterlife:
It makes people complacent and perhaps less likely to live life to the fullest because it does not have an end (Stenger 36-37).
May not trust one’s self and may second guess themselves as they hand over control for the promise of an afterlife (Stenger 36-37).
People may not seek justice for themselves because they believe that the opportunity will come again in the next life (Stenger 36-37).
Many may live their lives in fear, worrying about whether they are good enough to achieve paradise or deserve to suffer in hell (Stenger 36-37).
Now for many the idea of an afterlife, paradise or punishment is a religious concept. These places exists and the judgments made is all within the control of a deity or God. Dualism as a philosophical theory cannot quantify, absolutely, that any kind of God-being exists, it can only support the idea that human beings could exist as energy beyond the body, however, whether that afterlife existence is organized and whether or not there is a omnipotent being is something that dualism cannot prove and that remains a matter of faith not fact. Dualism works under the idea that the mind, or soul, and the body are not interchangeable, they are two and distinct (Hasker and Taliaferro 1).
DISCUSSION
Many people today believe in the philosophical outlook of physicalism, which is essentially the antithetical view to dualism. They perceive the process of life and death to be strictly a physical one. Humanity is like any other species on the planet; species serve a purpose and play a role in the natural order of their environment. Then they die and new generations continue that process (Van Inagwen 210-211). The physical existence is all that matters and humanity is equally subject to it, without “privilege.” However, neuroscientists offer that the consciousness is something unique to humanity and that the third and more recent part of the human brain is the center of that consciousness (Wallace 31). Most importantly science can identify, but not verify that that consciousness can exist outside of the body. Some say yes and others still say no.
Those who favor the physicalist perspective argue that this energy or spiritual existence is so much more important that is granted immortality, then why have a biological existence at all? They argue that humanity as a species are subject to instincts and biological imperatives that drive human behavior. Hormones, chemicals and base needs dictate the reasoning behind people’s actions. Human beings must maintain the body with nourishment and fluids, if they do not then they will die (Van Inagwen 210). If living things have an immortal soul, then why would such a fragile and breakable form exist at all? Human beings are outfitted with instincts for self preservation; if the afterlife is a guarantee then why would living things struggle, instinctually, not to die. Ideas of an afterlife, a benevolent paradise and a continuation of one’s essence is simply a story people tell themselves because they cannot cope with their own insignificance and inevitable end, as those of a physicalist would claim (Grossman 216).
Again, dualism cannot confirm or deny, the religious specifics that different belief systems hold to, but it can argue against pure physicalism and use logic and research for support to find that there is merit in living things being a combination of both the physical elements and other non-physical ones. That there is a place for the ideology that once the physical has ended, it is only the beginning and they take on a different existence. Every living thing, great and small, every inanimate object, the very sky and the land that dots the earth are all made up of the very same thing; atoms. Atoms, and possibly many smaller components, are responsible for the existence of all things (McLaughlin 319). How atoms are organized and formed determines how they are perceived, for example, wood is dense, but water is permeable and a desk is solid, but the air is not. People are no different, when broken down people are all made from tiny particles that cannot be seen. That said does that not mean that those atoms cannot exist after a portion dies. Living things are powered by electrical current pulsing in the brain and allowing the body to function; that energy has to go somewhere after death. Supporters of, both, dualism and advocates of an afterlife offer that there is evidence to verify a potential that needs to be more immediately considered.
Phantom Limb Phenomena:
This is one of the most practical phenomena that occurs that has been identified in both medical and scientific settings. When someone loses a limb to amputation many express that they can still feel their foot or wiggle their toes, even though both are absent. Now, both, physicians and psychologists would argue that these phenomena are mental and confused perceptions from the mind. However, research has proven that in some cases of an amputated limb is still visible; or at least the aura of it is, within X-rays and MRIs taken of the amputated appendage. This insinuates that even when flesh and bone are gone, energy may act independently from the reality of the physical form. (Ramachandran and Hirstein 1602). This may not prove life after death, but it does prove that human body can exist beyond the loss of its parts.
Near-Death Experiences:
When someone is near-death or have died temporarily there have been patients who have experienced leaving their body, seeing the room, including themselves, from above. They may remember conversation or acts that they were unconscious for. Some people have vivid recollections of seeing lights, people they know, family and friends, warm air and speaking to people (Wolchover 1). While the phenomena is wide spread and multicultural, there is, of course, as yet, no way to prove the phenomena as genuine. However, for dualists it does represent the plausibility of living consciousness moving independently from the body (Chalmers 92).
Reincarnation:
Reincarnation is an aspect of certain religion’s perspective on the afterlife, however, philosophically it, also, has credence. The concept of reincarnation differs from other concepts in that its believers feel that the afterlife is simply a temporary state of waiting until a soul can be placed into a newborn (Stenger 3). This recycling of souls infers that a single soul is immortal and will occupy many bodies over many different lifetimes. Therefore been instances, particularly, with young children, where they have knowledge of eras, sometimes, decades before they were born. They remember skills, names and places that can all be verified historically (Kagan 162). This phenomenon is difficult to deny. Once again, the research into these occurrences seem to point to the dualist perspective that life is a combination of the body and the incorporeal energy that we may become when we die.
Ghosts, Spirits & Souls:
People have always had some of kind of opinion on the afterlife and the potentiality of ghosts, either they are highly skeptical and deny it or they believe wholeheartedly and work to prove that this type of paranormal phenomena does exist. The presence of ghosts, spirits, souls, or whatever else they may be called, is probably the most controversial of “afterlife” phenomena (Hasker and Taliaferro 1). In the 21st century there has been a great deal of more serious and dedicated research and new knowledge and the technologies applied to the phenomena has greatly increased. There is still a stigma associated with people who believe in ghost or the afterlife (Grossman 115). This complex equipment is aiding in allowing people to see, interact, and hear these “entities.” A great deal of legitimate, visual evidence and audio with content that is difficult to explain away. This is lending credence to the idea that there is a science to the afterlife. The instances may not be “spiritual” at all, but simply a matter of science we are not yet able to truly understand and manipulate. Again, this kind of research leans toward to support for the validity of the ideas behind dualism.
Again, as yet, there is no universal or definitive proof of life beyond the body or any afterlife awaiting them when they do, but there is a great deal of provocative data from many different sources that should, if nothing else, entice more in-depth and further study. Every civilization across the globe has an interpretation, concept or a mythology regarding what happens when one dies and where they will go when they do; it is something all have in common. The existence of the commonality should not be ignored (Wallace 1). Dualism acknowledges that commonality and embraces the philosophy of human beings as made up of two distinct parts, the physical and the incorporeal. Perhaps that is simply the nature of life; it is not in our nature to cease to be just because the body does; we are meant to go on. However, until more definitive proof is found, dualism and the potentiality of the afterlife will likely remain a mystery.
CONCLUSION
People, like all things, will die and, as yet, that is an unavoidable truth that cannot be escaped. Because death, in many ways, is the final mystery, there is a plethora of explanations to define after death and beyond. Dualism seems to be the best philosophy for a diverse and ever-changing and technologically advancing modern era; it grants support for both the body and consciousness existing in tandem, without favoring one or the other completely. Some people believe that when we die we are judged by our acts and behaviors throughout a lifetime; this encourages people to “behave” out of fear of punishment. Others see the afterlife as an energy state of being; flesh and blood is just a part of that existence. For many they remain ambiguous and caught between an era of science and tales of the afterlife. The dualist philosophy encourages philosophical discussion and scientific research to answer the important questions. There is no argument that the contemplation of one’s death or the death of those they care about is a saddening, disturbing and frightful for many. The ideas of one’s consciousness continuing, maintaining its identify and sense of self after death is incredibly comforting. Believing that the loved ones lost would be seen again on the other side may help to come to peace with chilling reality of inevitable death. However, such stories and beliefs are far more than just comfort; they may be representative of truth regarding the afterlife. There is proof that phantom limbs register not only in a patient’s mind but in medical testing as well. There are instances of near-death experiences, reincarnation and paranormal phenomena helps to maintain the possibility of life after death and support the philosophy of dualism as a plausible explanation of that life, which has elements that are biological, physical and tangible, but also ephemeral, incorporeal and purely energy.
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