Immortality Of Soul Research Articles

Kematian Seutuhnya Dalam Pengakuan Gereja Toraja Menurut Pandangan Antropologi Metafisik

Death is a reality that every human being must experience. In death all human power and effort during his life becomes terminated, meaningless and death stops everything. Even so, humans believe in themselves there is something that is not affected by death, namely the soul, so that only the body experiences death. Whether influenced by philosophical thinking or traditional views. The dead body and the immortal soul contain the notion of a soul containing divine elements. The description in this paper focus on understanding death as a whole using a metaphysical anthropology approach. With the research method of literature study and cursory observations, the result show that humans die completely and live completely. Humans experience death in both body and soul. However, on the other hand, in personal relationships with others, it is found that the body and soul remain intact in the memories of others, even though someone’s person has died. The concept og human death as a whole, in the view of metaphysical anthropology, has similarities with complete death, is the recognition of the Toraja church. Keywords: Death, Body, Spirit, Metaphysical Anthropology, Wholeness and Unity.

Immortality of Soul and the Possibility of its Theoretical Proof: Kant and Plato

Immortality of Soul and the Possibility of its Theoretical Proof: Kant and Plato

Nikolai Lossky’s Evolutionary Metaphysics of Reincarnation

The Russian philosopher Nikolai Onufrievich Lossky (1870–1965) adhered to an evolutionary metaphysics of reincarnation according to which the world is constituted of immortal souls or monads, which he calls ‘substantival agents.’ These substantival agents can evolve or devolve depending on the goodness or badness of their behavior. Such evolution requires the possibility for monads to reincarnate into the bodies of creatures of a higher or of a lower level on the scala perfectionis. According to this theory, a substantival agent can evolve by being gradually reincarnated multiple times through a sort of process of metamorphosis from the level of the most elementary particles all the way up to the level of human beings or even higher. In ‘Ученiе Лейбница о перевоплощенiи какъ метаморфозѣ’ (‘Leibniz’s Doctrine of Reincarnation as Metamorphosis,’ 1931), Lossky argues that the works of Leibniz contain scattered elements of such a systematic evolutionary doctrine of reincarnation as metamorphosis and he attempts to reconstitute this doctrine. The present article is intended as an historical introduction to the translation (published in the same journal issue) of Lossky’s ‘Leibniz’s Doctrine of Reincarnation as Metamorphosis.’

A Naked Seed: Platonism, Stoicism, or Agriculture in 1Cor 15,37?

AbstractPaul’s expression in 1Cor 15,37, γυμνὸς κόκκος, has nothing whatsoever to do with a Platonist naked soul or Stoic imagery of sowing and seeds. The context itself indicates that an immortal Platonic soul is not the reference of γυμνὸς κόκκος. The Platonist texts and the Stoic imagery of sowing and seeds do not resemble Paul’s affirmations in 1Cor 15,37. Instead, texts from Greek biology and agriculture are far more illuminating. The naked seed of 1Cor 15,37 are a metaphor for sown dead bodies. The context and comparative texts indicate Paul’s fundamental analogy: the naked seed is to the sown body as the plant body is to the body that will be.

Forms and Movements of Life

Based on an analysis of the theory of the movement of existence, this paper answers the following question: Where can one see the most important connections of philosophical and religious language in the most re-thought part of Jan Patočkaʼs thinking? The third movement of life is seen as a form of the true philosophical life, but also as a form with metaphysical responsibility. The movement of breakthrough, or actual self-comprehension, is the most important, because it leads to care for the soul—and, according to Patočkaʼs analyses of interpretations of the Faust legend, it leads to care for the true immortality of soul. In the third movement of life, one lives an unsheltered life in openness to all which is not given and cannot be given, which is beyond all objective identification, and yet determines this world. In response to the mission in time (kairos), on the way to “asubjective” openness of the soul, in a dialogue which searches for truth and resists temptation, one can still find metaphysical responsibility and freedom.

The Historical Account Of ʿabd Al-Jabbār Al-Hamadani’s Physicalist Conception Of Human Soul

This study aims to go through Muʿtazilite understandings of a man briefly and expounds on Qadi ʿAbd al-Jabbār al-Hamadani’s (d. 1025) strong rejection of any non-physicalist view of man and his soul. Amongst the Mu'tazilite school prevailed three distinct views on man, hence of the soul; the non-physicalist tradition represented by Ibrāhīm b. Sayyār an-Naẓẓām (d. 836) who claimed that man is the dwelling soul in the human corpse. The dualist view as advocated by Muʿammar b. ʿAbbād (d. 830) who understood man as a combination of the material body and immaterial soul. The third view is the so-called materialist stance on the human being. Qadi ʿAbd al-Jabbār as one of the advocates of this view argues that man does not possess any immaterial or immortal soul. This paper proposes that such a peculiar view of man was the natural outcome of ʿAbd al-Jabbār’s cosmological setting and his sensitivity towards legal matters (talkif). ʿAbd al-Jabbār’s image of man does not need other; a soul, to make him will or capable of certain actions, for man is this corporeal body which could be seen in its actuality, and experienced in its totality. Therefore, he defines man (šaẖs) as a living being (ḥayy), having volition (murid), capable of acting voluntarily (qādir) and consequently entitles him with the responsibility for moral and religious obligations (al-mukallaf). It could be widely observed that Qadi, though admits the presence of soul in the body for its being alive, does not consider it to be living in itself or eternal. The soul, however, is the contingent breath, by which lightweight bodies (air) are inhaled and exhaled. It is an integral part of a living human being such as his flesh, blood or body structures.

A History of Death in the Hebrew Bible

A History of Death in the Hebrew Bible

Paganism, natural reason, and immortality: Charles Blount and John Toland’s histories of the soul

ABSTRACT Many Enlightenment freethinkers undermined the immortality of the soul by declaring that it could not be demonstrated by philosophy, and that its origins were inseparable from ancient superstition. Historians have argued that the key masterminds behind this particular historical-critical attack were the deists Charles Blount and John Toland. However, overemphasis on deist critiques has fostered the idea that it was rare to write about the history of the soul in the seventeenth century. In reality, historical accounts of the immortal soul were ubiquitous in this period. These histories included all the elements in deist histories that scholars have since deemed dangerous. I argue that writing a history of pagan belief in the soul was therefore not an intrinsically subversive move. Instead, Blount and Toland’s histories reworked narratives already available in mainstream scholarship on ancient paganism. It has now become common to argue that anticlerical arguments were forged in orthodox erudition. But if deists were not saying anything different to their contemporaries, why did their work raise such an outcry? I contend that their radical characters, the broader context of their respective oeuvres, and the circumstances in which their works circulated played a critical role in their reception.

The “from despair to immortality of soul” concept in the interpretation of Beethoven’s Sonata op.111

The research subject is Beethoven’s view of life of the late period - the topical issue for a performing musician: without understanding of the fundamental changes in his style, it is impossible to adequately interpret the late piano sonatas. The last of them - Sonata op.111 - has been an object of discussion not only among musicians, but also among writers for almost two centuries. The author detects the following types of dialogue in Sonate op.111: a) a dialogue with Beethoven’s previous compositions; b) a dialogue - within the latest period - with Ninth Symphony op.25 and Missa Solemnis op.123; c) a dialogue with the music of predecessors; d) an imaginary dialogue of Beethoven and Goethe (of the period of “Faust” completion); e) a dialogue op.111 with the world culture. The author arrives at the following conclusions: whilst the formation of the concept of interpretation is usually related to the performance activities of romanticists - Paganini and List, the prerequisites of the phenomenon of interpretation can be found already in the works and ideas of Beethoven - he is a precursor of romanticists of the 19th century. Each of his works is individualized, and doesn’t contain patterns or cliches. To play his compositions outside of the concept means to be not able to adequately convey the spirit of Beethoven’s music. With all their strict architectonics, Beethoven’s works appeal to spontaneity of self-expression - a pianist, as an actor, should experience this music “in the here and now”.   

Jak wykazać nieśmiertelność. O Kompendium „Teologii Platońskiej” Marsilia Ficina. Wstęp do przekładu

Jak wykazac nieśmiertelnośc. O Kompendium „Teologii Platonskiej” Marsilia Ficina Nieśmiertelnośc ludzkiej duszy byla jednym z najcześciej dyskutowanych problemow filozoficznych w epoce renesansu. Marsilio Ficino poświecil temu zagadnieniu wiele traktatow – nie tylko swoją najbardziej popularną prace Teologia Platonska na temat nieśmiertelności dusz , ale takze teksty zwane opuscula theologica , w tym Kompendium Teologii Platonskiej . Artykul stanowi wstep do tlumaczenia Kompendium na jezyk polski, zawiera informacje na jego temat oraz analize przedstawionych w nim treści. W traktacie autor ukazuje ontyczną strukture rzeczywistości (glownie jej sfere niecielesną), ktora ma wymiar neoplatonski i chrześcijanski, oraz dowodzi konieczności istnienia Pierwszej Przyczyny-Boga, od ktorego pochodzi kazda istota. Koncentruje sie na boskich atrybutach, uznając, ze ich poznanie determinuje wiedze o wszystkim innym, w tym o ludzkiej duszy. Bezpośrednie pochodzenie duszy od Boga i jej zdolnośc do poznania niezmiennych form rzeczy jest zdaniem Ficina dowodem na jej nieśmiertelnośc.

From the Belief of the Immortality of the Soul, the Blessing or the Harassing of the Soul Towards People to the Worship of the Souls of Vietnamese People

Does the soul exist? If there exists where it is, what it is doing and if the soul does not exist why is it still appear in the daily lives of so many people, so many generations and many places in the world. Why is it so important for so many countries in the world to believe in the immortality of the soul and death? Faith in the dead and the next generation depends largely on a person’s religion and culture, on a community of people. For many Vietnamese, this belief goes from the belief that the soul only reaches its ultimate goal after many reincarnations, to the idea that life will now determine its final destiny. Consequently, one person can feel confident that he will eventually merge with the ultimate reality after death, others will surely reach Nirvana, and others will believe that he will be rewarded in heaven. So what is the truth? Because our beliefs affect our attitude, actions, and decisions, are we not interested in finding answers to that question? The dead are not finished but their souls still exist. Depending on the behavior of those who live with those who have died, they (those who are still alive) may be blessed by the soul or punished by the soul, encountering unfortunate things in life. This study provides a discussion of whether or not the existence of the immortal soul and the blessing or harassing of the soul for human life. How can humans limit the harassing and many blessings from the soul? Why does belief in the blessing and harassing of the soul become such a popular custom of worship among Vietnamese people?

ПОДХОДЫ К ОСМЫСЛЕНИЮ ФЕНОМЕНА ТЕЛЕПАТИИ В РОССИИ КОНЦА XIX - НАЧАЛА XX В.

The article describes a variety of approaches to realizing the phenomenon of telepathy in Russia in the late 19th – early 20th century. Telepathy kindled interest of scientists, occultists, members of religious groups and general public. Reasons behind the interest towards this phenomenon varied in each specific case. Scientists viewed telepathy as a phenomenon that was worth exploring, and created theories that would explain it. At the same time, some of them regarded such studies as a way of justifying the possibility of life outside of a physical body. Telepathic experiments aimed to prove the independence of human psyche from the body were also conducted by those not associated with academic science. Occultists preferred describing the phenomenon of telepathy without resorting to scientific terminology and used occult anthropological concepts instead. In popular occultism represented by mentalism, telepathy was viewed as a practice capable of improving the quality of living. Christian spiritualists and some representatives of Orthodox clergy took interest in telepathy as a means of proving the immortality of soul. Moreover, they used the telepathy theory to justify the efficacy of traditional religious practices, in particular the prayer. Despite of the variances in the reasons behind the interest towards telepathy and in its explanations, the interest to this phenomenon reflected a common trend of that age towards rethinking the anthropology

Of Ships and Fools: Death and Mirrors in La Lozana andaluza

This paper is a comparative analysis of the visual images in two early print versions of Sebastian Brant's Ship of Fools and Francisco Delicado's Retrato de la Lozana andaluza. I begin with a visual comparison of the title pages of the Ship of Fools and Retrato de la Lozana andaluza. Through this comparison, I highlight the importance of mirrors and reflected images in each text. In particular, I argue how the imperfection of mirrors inverts and distorts images, and how these reflections and distortions are used as a literary device by the authors of both works. This leads to a final analysis of death imagery as a reference to the fate of the immortal soul, focusing on the reflected image of a memento mori on the title page of Retrato de la Lozana andaluza. Delicado borrows the mechanism of inversion from the Ship of Fools in order to create a variegated text that defies a single interpretation by engaging with and parodying the didactic literature of the time.

Метаморфоза «плоти» (Амвросий Медиоланский и становление западно-христианской антропологии)

What is the reason of the established perception of Christianity as a doctrine declaring body not only unimportant aspect of man, in contrast to incorporeal immortal soul, but also the fetters that are to be broken away from? The author attempts to answer this question through the analysis of the Biblical “flesh”, “soul” and “spirit”, which the Fathers and Doctors of the Church assumed to be identical to Greek and Latin notions. Thus, the notion of flesh in the Old and New Testaments may be used in their works as synonymous to body. As a result of such semantic metamorphosis, now and then implicit, the early Christian authors generate idea of man revealing traits of Greco-Roman anthropology, above all Platonism, i.e. the dualism of soul and body, as well as the negative attitude toward corporality. Which departs from the Biblical idea of man as an integral being made by the good Creator. The works of St. Ambrose, bishop of Milan, Doctor of the Church, religious figure and one of the greatest advocates of Christianity, help us to understand the process of this exceptionally important semantic transformation.

Acceptance of suffering and death due to cancer in the religions of the world

Cancer undoubtedly occurs in human life as unwanted. Finding yourself in a situation of cancer, it generates a series of thoughts, events that result in the need to confront the new reality. The sense of threat to life makes a person changes the mode of operation and a hierarchy of important things for him. Polish proverb "when in fear, God is near" aptly interprets human behavior in a difficult situation. Often, in such a situation a person is looking for support in religion, religion often begins to have a new meaning for the patient, while being the source of the sense of safety. Thanks to it, religion can shape the patient's level of hope. As the result the patient can better cope with the difficulties to give peace and balance of spirit, certainly needed to overcome the disease and persist in it. The aim of the study was the location of the phenomenon of death and suffering of cancer in the context of cancer. Conclusions: 1.Majority of religions of the world see suffering as an important part of the way of life, which can provide a relief for those suffering from cancer. 2.Most of the major religions of the world present the vision of the immortal soul, which gives hope to the dying people, that life does not end, but it will last, but in a different form. 3.Atheism, as well as low levels of religiosity may increase the fear of death and impede acceptance of suffering. 4. Developing knowledge by medical staff about the religion should be their good practice, allowing them to better understand and support patients.

PLATO'S PHAEDO: ARE THE PHILOSOPHERS’ PLEASURES OF LEARNING PURE PLEASURES?

Though Plato's Phaedo does not focus on pleasure, some considerable talk on pleasure takes place in it. Socrates argues for the soul's immortality and, while doing so, hopes to highlight to his companions how important it is to take care of our soul by focussing on the intellect and by neglecting the bodily realm as far as is possible in this life. Doing philosophy, so his argument goes, is something like dying, if we grant that death is the separation of the soul from the body and notice that genuine philosophers wish nothing else than to be detached from the bodily realm. For indulging into bodily pleasures has detrimental consequences on the soul, impeding the search of truth and distorting reality, and so philosophers should undertake to purify themselves from all bodily concerns and gratifications and love the objects of learning and knowledge without deviation and distraction. On the contrary, ordinary people fall for the bodily realm as the only real domain that should therefore be of priority and of their earnest concern.

Plato on the Value of Philosophy: The Art of Argument in the Gorgias and Phaedrus

Plato on the Value of Philosophy: The Art of Argument in the Gorgias and Phaedrus

Why Does Kant Think We Must Believe in the Immortal Soul?

AbstractMaking sense of Kant’s claim that it is morally necessary for us to believe in the immortal soul is a historically fraught issue. Commentators typically reject it, or take one of two paths: they either restrict belief in the immortal soul to our subjective psychology, draining it of any substantive rational grounding; or make it out to be a rational necessity that morally interested beings must accept on pain of contradiction. Against these interpreters, I argue that on Kant’s view, belief in our immortality is necessary because it further determines and enriches the cognitive content contained in the concept of the highest good. Through this sharpened conceptual content, we acquire the resources to withstand theoretical skepticism about our moral vocation.

What Does It Mean to Be a Creature? Reflections from the Early Christian Theologians

ABSTRACTThis paper is not an exercise in patristic disability theology; rather it seeks to explore the theological anthropology of the Fathers, particularly Augustine and Gregory of Nyssa, in such a way as to shed light on how they understood human physicality and limitation, morbidity and mortality. The key is the doctrine of creation and the consequent recognition of humankind as a creature (1) constituted of soul and body, thus to be re-created at the resurrection rather than continuing to exist as an inherently immortal soul, and (2) made in the image of God, the image, or portrait, being manifest in a medium other than what is imaged. Personal testimony indicates the relevance of these points for the sacredness of bodies, even of those impaired or disabled.

Measuring souls: Psychometry, female instruments, and subjective science, 1840-1910.

This essay focuses on the history of psychometry, the science of soul measuring. For its founder, Dr Joseph Rodes Buchanan, the soul was simultaneously an object for anthropological research and a measuring instrument capable of revealing human character, interpreting natural history, and demonstrating the reality of an immortal soul. Psychometry taught that human souls, especially those of women, were capable of acting as instruments because they could feel the mysterious energies that people and objects radiated. Although orthodox male scientists rejected the visions of sensitive women as the antithesis of reliable data, psychometric researchers believed that the feelings of women were both the instruments and information that made their science possible. Psychometry promised to revolutionize science by insisting that sympathy and subjectivity, not detachment and objectivity, ought to undergird research. Yet as male experimenters worked to prove psychometry's effectiveness, they almost invariably cast themselves as detached observers accurately recording the data provided by their female instruments. Thus, despite pushing for scientific reform, the methods and discourse of male psychometric experimenters eroded their field's core arguments about connectedness and subjectivity and, instead, reinforced the notion that detachment and objectivity were essential to legitimate science. Challenges to objectivity could prove just how thoroughly it dominated scientific discourse and practice. Still, some psychometers, particularly women who practiced at home, were untroubled by the fact that their research was predicated on subjective feelings, and psychometry remained a viable pursuit among spiritualists even as it faded from the realm of science. Psychometry emerged and, ultimately, fractured amid tensions between widespread enthusiasm for sciences that emphasized spiritual connectedness and the mounting pressure to legitimize scientific knowledge through the language and practices of objectivity.