Lecture 26: The Possibility of Life After Death (Part 3)

Overview

• Focus on the possibility of bodily resurrection.
• Previous lecture dealt with the concept of immaterial souls.
• A Christian account requires both an immaterial soul with an intermediate state and the possibility of bodily resurrection.

Key Questions

• What is needed to accomplish bodily resurrection?
• What kind of body is required for resurrection?
• The answer depends on the definition of a human person (anthropology):
  • Body
  • Soul
  • Combination of body and soul

Theories of Human Personhood

1. Substance Dualism

• Belief: You are your soul.
• Implication: Resurrection is easy because only a duplicate body is needed.
• Example: The soul can inhabit a new, identical body.

2. Materialism/Physicalism

• Belief: You are your body.
• Implication: The same physical body must be resurrected; a duplicate body won't suffice.

3. Composite View (Hylomorphism)

• Belief: You are a composite of body and soul.
• Implication: Both body and soul must survive. The resurrection body must be numerically identical to the current body.

Concepts of Sameness and Identity

• Phenomenological/Qualitative Sameness: Objects appear the same but are not numerically identical (e.g., identical shirts).
• Numerical Identity: The exact same object over time.
• Numerical identity is crucial for materialism and hylomorphism in resurrection.

Historical Christian Views on Resurrection

• Reassembly Model: Most of Christian history sees resurrection as a reassembly of the exact physical parts.
• Cannibal Objection: Challenges the reassembly model by questioning how God resurrects bodies with shared components.

Alternative Models

1. Brain Snatching Model (Peter Van Inwagen)

• Concept: God snatches the brain before death and replaces it with a duplicate.
• Goal: Show logical possibility even if it’s not realistic.

2. Body Fission Model (Dean Zimmerman)

• Concept: Body splits into two; one becomes the corpse, the other continues to live.
• Criticism: Logical possibilities but not actual accounts of resurrection.

Criticisms and Further Thoughts

• Logical Possibility: Important to counter atheist claims of impossibility.
• Desire for Realism: Need more than logical possibilities; seek actual mechanisms.
• Upcoming Lectures: Will explore reassembly possibility further, argue against cannibal objection as a definitive problem.

Conclusion

• The lecture explores diverse theories of bodily resurrection.
• Further analysis in future lectures will address potential solutions to objections and practical implications.

Note: This summary outlines key concepts in understanding bodily resurrection from philosophical and theological perspectives.