Is there life after death or do we simply cease to exist? Renowned scholar Paul Edwards has compiled "Immortality", a superb group of philosophical selections featuring the work of both classical and contemporary authors who address the topics of immortality, soul and body, transmigration, materialism, epiphenomenalism, physical research and parapsychology, reincarnation, disembodied existence, and much more.
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Is there life after death or do we simply cease to exist? Few questions wreak havoc with our deepest held beliefs and strongest emotions more than this one. The answers given over the centuries reach to the very core of who we are and what it means to be human. Cutting through the emotionalism to reach the central issue, renowned scholar Paul edwards has compiled Immortality, a superb group of philosophical selections featuring the work of both classical and contemporary authors who address not only the topic of immortality, but also two of the most fascinating and difficult philosophical problems -- the mind/body problem, and the nature of personal identity. Highlighted are discussion of soul and body, transmigration, materialism, epiphenomenalism, physical research and parapsychology, reincarnation, disembodied existence, and much more.
This unique anthology presents selections from all the major philosophers who have written on belief in life after death. Traditional Western belief is represented by Tertullian, Thomas Aquinas, Bishop Butler, Joseph Priestly, Peter Geach, and Peter van Inwagen. Reincarnation is defended by Plato, C. J. Ducasse, and Raynor Johnson. The critics of reincarnation include Lucretius, Hume, Voltaire, Kant, C. D. Broad, and John Hospers. Also included is A. J. Ayer's delightful and entertaining yet enigmatic account of his well-known near-death experience, "What I Saw When I Was Dead". The nature of mind and its relation to the body is discussed by Descartes, J. S. Mill, Hugh Elliot, William James, and Antony Flew. The philosophical issue of personal identity and its connection with questions of survival is examined by Locke, Hume, Thomas Reid, and Derek Parfit.
Edwards has included a preface, and a 70-page introduction on his own views of immortality and reincarnation, as well as a comprehensive, annotated bibliography.
Paul Edwards is the author of Reincarnation: A Critical Examination, The Logic Of Moral Discourse, Heidegger And Death, and numerous articles in philosophical journals. He is also the editor of The Encyclopedia Of Philosophy, and Voltaire. he has contributed to numerous reference works including The Encyclopedia Of Unbelief, The Encyclopedia Of Ethics, and The Oxford Companion To Philosophy. In 1979, Columbia University awarded him the Nichols Murray Butler Silver Medal for distinguished contributions to philosophy. He teaches at the New School for Social Research in New York City. -- Midwest Book Review
This unique anthology presents selections from all the major philosophers who have written on belief in life after death. Traditional Western belief is represented by Tertullian, Thomas Aquinas, Bishop Butler, Joseph Priestly, Peter Geach, and Peter van Inwagen. Reincarnation is defended by Plato, C. J. Ducasse, and Raynor Johnson. The critics of reincarnation include Lucretius, Hume, Voltaire, Kant, C. D. Broad, and John Hospers. Also included is A. J. Ayer's delightful and entertaining yet enigmatic account of his well-known near-death experience, "What I Saw When I Was Dead". The nature of mind and its relation to the body is discussed by Descartes, J. S. Mill, Hugh Elliot, William James, and Antony Flew. The philosophical issue of personal identity and its connection with questions of survival is examined by Locke, Hume, Thomas Reid, and Derek Parfit.
Edwards has included a preface, and a 70-page introduction on his own views of immortality and reincarnation, as well as a comprehensive, annotated bibliography.
Paul Edwards is the author of Reincarnation: A Critical Examination, The Logic Of Moral Discourse, Heidegger And Death, and numerous articles in philosophical journals. He is also the editor of The Encyclopedia Of Philosophy, and Voltaire. he has contributed to numerous reference works including The Encyclopedia Of Unbelief, The Encyclopedia Of Ethics, and The Oxford Companion To Philosophy. In 1979, Columbia University awarded him the Nichols Murray Butler Silver Medal for distinguished contributions to philosophy. He teaches at the New School for Social Research in New York City. -- Midwest Book Review
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
http://www.infidels.org/infidels/products/books/,
This review is from: Immortality (Paperback)
"_Immortality_ is a compilation of numerous authors, ancient and modern, who address the question of whether or not there is a life after death. Edwards provides an excellent seventy page introduction which guides the reader through other relevant philosophical issues, such as the nature of the vehicles' for survival of bodily death, the mind-body problem, the traditional Christian concept of bodily resurrection, the evidence and arguments for and against reincarnation, and the relationship between belief in God and belief in survival of bodily death--where Edwards stresses an often overlooked fact that one can believe in either without believing in both (Voltaire, for example, was a deist who believed that the universe had a Creator because he accepted the argument from design, but rejected belief in life after death; and many modern-day parapsychologists who believe they have evidence for survival are also atheists). Edwards also emphasizes that mind-brain dependence does not entail the truth
of a strict materialism that contends that mental states are identical to brain states; thus arguments against reductionist materialism are irrelevant to the factuality of the dependence of consciousness on the brain. _Immortality_ includes essays on life after death from such prominent historical thinkers as Plato, Lucretius, Tertullian, Descartes, Hume, Voltaire, and Kant to contemporary philosophers, parapsychologists, and theologians. _Immortality_ is clearly written and
well-structured, allowing both a historical survey of differing opinions on the issue and an evaluation of the state of the evidence and arguments today from authors with opposing viewpoints."
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great book!,
By Mythbuster (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Immortality (Paperback)
This is not a debunking work, but one to broaden our outlook into what other possibilities may exist. Who knows for sure? This book will make your brains do overtime, expand the mind, soothe the soul and caress the spirit. Paul Edwards has done an excellent job with this anthology of great thinkers.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good overview of philosophical approaches to the topic,
By A Customer
This review is from: Immortality (Paperback)
This text works well in college classes and for general readers interested in the range of views (pro and con) on the issue of life after death.
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