Homework:‘A loving God would not send people to Hell.’

Agree Disagree

Reincarnation and Rebirth

Aims

To review Plato’s ideas To explain and analyse eastern religious

beliefs concerning reincarnation and rebirth

Plato

Dualist Soul = charioteer

Cycle of opposites

Knowledge of the Forms

Plato’s Phaedo

Reincarnation

The cycle of death and rebirth involves intermediate stages where things change = the act of dying and revival

Things are generated from their opposites

Plato

Arguments for Arguments against

Criticism of Plato

Peter Geach rejects Plato’s views: How can the disembodied soul see the

world of the Forms? Surely seeing is linked to the body?

Is existence without a body really human existence?

Other philosophers have rejected Plato’s argument from the cycle of opposites. Many things in the universe have opposites but this doesn’t necessarily mean that death and life are the opposite of each other, or that the soul exists

Reincarnation

Hindu belief Hindus discuss their beliefs Death in Hinduism Becoming a Sadhu Hindu Aghori

Reincarnation: 3 interpretations

Reincarnation – a fixed essence goes from life to life

Rebirth – a process continues from life to life

Metaphorical view of rebirth – rebirth is a mental happening within life

Booklets, p.78

Reincarnation

Claims about past life experiences

Reincarnation

Is there any persuasive evidence to suggest that souls are reincarnated?

How else might we account for claims about past life experiences?

Key question

What would the five key philosophers (Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Hick, Dawkins) say about reincarnation?

Hindu View

Hindus believe that the soul is eternal. Karma (actions) in one life determines the type of

reincarnation experienced in the next life. Actions create impressions on the soul which in turn

influence the type of birth one experiences in a future life.

Good actions lead to fortunate reincarnations, whereas bad actions lead to unfortunate reincarnations.

It is possible for humans to be reincarnated as animals.

The process of reincarnation is seen as something to be escaped from. In Hinduism, the ultimate goal of earthly existence is called moksha or mahasamadhi.

Key Terms - Hinduism

Karma – the law of cause and effect Atman – ‘self.’ It can refer to body, mind or

soul, depending on context Samsara – the cycle of birth, death and

rebirth The jiva (the real self, or soul) is

reincarnated as a human or other life form depending on the conduct of its last reincarnation

What is the problem of identity?

Does the problem of identity

suggest that reincarnation is

incoherent?

Reincarnation

Homework – due in next week Evaluate the claim that the soul is distinct from

the body (35 marks) Explain dualism (Plato, Descartes) Argue for dualism (problem of identity, Plato’s

arguments, reincarnation, Descartes’ doubts) Argue against dualism (Geach, Ryle, Dawkins) Things to discuss:

Is the soul the real person? Is knowledge just about remembering? Is there any persuasive evidence of past life

experiences? Do doubts about the physical world show that the soul

is more ‘real’ than the body? Could we exist without our bodies?

Explain dualism:Key ideas, Plato, Descartes

Keep using the words in the question

Evaluate the claim that the soul is distinct from the body

Introduction: Identify the key theories and philosophers that you will discuss

Conclusion: Summarise how your arguments have led you to the conclusion EITHER that dualist claims are coherent OR that they are incoherent

Booklets, p.64-67, 70-71, 78-81, 84-85

Think: Is the soul the real person? Is knowledge just about remembering? Is there any persuasive evidence of past life experiences? Do doubts about the physical world show that the soul is more ‘real’? How could we possibly exist without our bodies?