PHI 532 – Conceptions & Experiences of the Afterlife
What happens when you die? Scholars and theologians throughout history have sought to answer this question. This course explores the “afterlife” as described by the major religious traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism), the Greek philosophers and religionists, the Eleusinian and Orphic Mystery schools, and the teachings of spiritualism and Theosophy. Questions about heaven, hell, and purgatory will be explored; as will some of the phenomena associated with the afterlife, such as reincarnation, resurrection, the survival of the disembodied soul, and intermediate post-mortem states as described by the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and the folklore surrounding vampires and zombies. The possible communication with the dead as detailed in spiritualism will be contrasted with the more scientific method of “cross-correspondence.” (3 credits)
What happens when you die? Scholars and theologians throughout history have sought to answer this question. This course explores the “afterlife” as described by the major religious traditions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism), the Greek philosophers and religionists, the Eleusinian and Orphic Mystery schools, and the teachings of spiritualism and Theosophy. Questions about heaven, hell, and purgatory will be explored; as will some of the phenomena associated with the afterlife, such as reincarnation, resurrection, the survival of the disembodied soul, and intermediate post-mortem states as described by the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and the folklore surrounding vampires and zombies. The possible communication with the dead as detailed in spiritualism will be contrasted with the more scientific method of “cross-correspondence.” (3 credits)