Abstract
To many contemporary philosophers life after death is not merely unlikely, it is inconceivable. It is not a question of weighing the evidence and finding it wanting, but rather of analysing the language and finding it meaningless. If a person claimed to be able to draw a square circle, we would feel no obligation to look at his work before returning a negative judgement upon it; simply to know the meaning of the words ‘square’ and ‘circle’ is to know that his project is doomed. In like manner it is suggested that if we pay attention to the correct usage of words relating to personal identity we will recognise that talk of ‘persons surviving bodily death’ is literally nonsense.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Notes and References
A. Flew, Body, Mind and Death (Macmillan, 1964 ) p. 12.
A. Flew and A. Maclntyre, New Essays in Philosophical Theology (SCM, 1963 ) p. 269.
A. Flew, Body, Mind and Death, p. 4.
E.g. G. Ryle, The Concept of Mind (Penguin, 1966);
P. F. Strawson, Individuals (Methuen, 1965);
T. Penelhum, Survival and Disembodied Existence (RKP, 1970 ).
A. Flew, A Dictionary of Philosophy (Pan, 1979) p. 348.
L. Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus 6.431 and 6.1411, cited in Flew and Maclntyre, New Essays, p. 272.
J. Macquarrie, Principles of Christian Theology (SCM, 1966) p. 69.
P. Badham, Christian Beliefs about Life after Death (Macmillan, 1976) pp. 79ff.
J. Macquarrie, The Christian Hope (Mowbrays, 1978) p. 117.
Cf. B. Williams, Problems of the Self (CUP, 1973) chapter 5.
Cf. D. M. Armstrong, A Materialist Theory of Mind (RKP, 1968 ) p. 74.
Cf. W. Kneale, On Having a Mind (CUP, 1962 ) pp. 50–2.
R. H. Thouless, ‘Theories about survival’, Journal of the Society for Psychical Research, Vol. 50, no. 779 (March 1979)
Lewis Caroll, Through the Looking Glass (Piccolo, 1977 (1871)) chapter 6, p. 74.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1982 Paul and Linda Badham
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Badham, P., Badham, L. (1982). The Logic of Mortality. In: Immortality or Extinction?. Library of Philosophy and Religion. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-04439-9_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-04439-9_1
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-04441-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-04439-9
eBook Packages: Palgrave Religion & Philosophy CollectionPhilosophy and Religion (R0)