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PHIL 201 Unit 5 (anthropology)
Philosophy and Contemporary Ideas (Liberty
University)
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PHIL 201 Unit 5
•Philosophical Anthropology is the theoretical study of human nature.
•Main Questions:
oWho am I? What am I? (What is the nature of personal identity?)
oIs humanity special?
oWhat is the meaning of life?
oWhat is the nature of death?
•Qualitative Identity vs. Numerical Identity
oQ: when two objects share the same qualities, but are located in different
places
oN: two qualitatively identical objects are located in the exact same place,
ohulk
•Eight theories of personal identity
oQualitative Bodily Identity
▪Your personal identity comes from the qualities that make your
body unique
oQualitative Mental Identity
▪Identical thoughts, feelings, beliefs, memories
oNumerical Bodily Identity
▪Two bodies are the same person, if they are numerically identical
oNumerical Mental Identity
▪Two beings are the same person if they have the numerically identical
thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and memories, occurring in the same
location
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oBodily Continuity
▪Share the same body but at different times
oMental Continuity
▪Two beings are the same person if they share the same
thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and memories, but at different times
oSpiritual Continuity
▪We are spirits. Or souls, or minds, something immaterial, that inhabit
bodies, but are not identical to them. Therefore, two beings are the
same person, only if they have numerical identity of spirit.
oPersonal Narrative
▪Two beings are the same person, if their personal histories are identical
•Theories of Human Uniqueness
oUpright posture
oOpposable Thumbs
oUse of tools
oUse of Language
oIntelligence
oMorality
oFree Will
oEmotion
oCreativity
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oThe soul
•Humans are not unique
•Human uniqueness is a matter of degree rather than of kind
oExercise free will more frequently
oHigher level of creativity
•Human uniqueness comes from our position as stewards of God’s creation
oMore advanced in moral sensibility
oMore creative than other animals
oMost capable of fulfilling role
What is the meaning of life? (better q: Do I exist for a purpose? What is my purpose?)
•Complex question; does life have meaning?
•Category mistake: meaning is something communicative
•Purpose
oHaving been designed for a reason
oThe reason for which something exists
o“Extrinsic” purpose is conferred on life by something else
o“Intrinsic” purpose would be inherent in life itself
▪Nihilism—life does not have any intrinsic purpose
•Meaningless
▪Existentialist—extrinsic purpose you bestow on life
▪Theism—lie has intrinsic purpose
•Why are we here?
oAristotle: to live virtuously
▪Distinct from animal kingdom because we wrestle with issues and
make choices because of them
oThomas Morris: to love others
oRevelation 4:11: to give God pleasure
oGive God pleasure > showing his perfect love > results in virtuous life
▪Matthew 22:37-40
•Merrism: refer to a whole of something by listing some of its parts
•People who devote their lives to serving others are serving themselves and are
the happiest
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death.
•Reasons people fear death
oFear of the process
oFear of the punishment
oFear of the unknown
oFear of annihilation
•Philosophical arguments attempting to show that we needn’t fear death:
oThe natural process argument
▪Death is a natural part of life, and because of that it should be
accepted as such
oThe necessity argument
▪Death is necessary for us to appreciate life, like darkness allows us
to appreciate light
oThe agnostic argument
▪We don’t know what death will be like, so we needn’t fear it;
remain neutral
▪Attempt to deal with the fear of death
oEpicurus’ argument
▪Everything is made of atoms -> atoms are material -> physicalism
▪When you die, you’re done. That’s it. Finished. Caput.
•Human attempts at defeating death:
oSocial immortality
▪You live on through your descendants
oCultural immortality
▪Live on through their cultural creations: artwork, music, books, etc.
oCosmic immortality
▪When we die, our bodies return to the soil of the earth, and
eventually our earth will be destroyed, and we will become one with
the universe
oScientific immortality
▪Science may one day conquer death. Length of life increasing
through medicinal advances
•Arguments attempting to show that there is life after death:
oThe argument from ultimate justice (Kant)
▪Many injustices that are never set right in this life, so if there really
is justice in this world, it must be a justice that is set after this world,
therefore there must be life after death.
oThe argument from reincarnation
▪Re-in-carnation
•Again-in-flesh
▪The spirit is again in the flesh
oThe argument from communication with the dead
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▪If it’s possible for people to talk to dead people, then something in
those dead people must be sentient
oThe argument from near-death experiences
oThe bible
•Basic Biblical truths about Death
oIt is (virtually) inevitable (Heb. 9:27).
oIt is not the end of existence (Lk. 23:43).
oIt may involve punishment, but it may also involve reward (Matt. 25:46).
oIt can be something to look forward to (2 Cor. 5:8, Phil. 1:21).
▪To live is Christ, to die is gain
