The Concept of Immortality: What Are the Various Possibilities?

[JackDaydream]

Well it is a psychological imperative that the idea of an "immortal" soul or life after death would be invented in antiquity as a coping mechanism for distraught mourners. This, of course neither supports nor detracts from the likelihood that any of this stuff is real.

The difference between the idea of 'an immortal soul' as an aspect of thinking psychologically, or as an actual possibility is important because the two aspects are completely different and should not be confused. Many people may wish to believe that they, or their loved ones, will continue in some shape or form.

This aspect may have contributed to the development of belief in life after death in its various forms. This is the psychological aspect, which is different entirely from the real possibilities, especially in relation to science. In some ways this philosophical difference is essential in the approach to any serious discussion of life after death in any of its various forms. What one would like, as an aspect of wishful thinking, and the real possibilities are entirely different, and awareness of this essential difference may be important starting point for an understanding of the various arguments and beliefs about immortality of the soul, or ideas about any form of potential life after death.

Yes and no. They are, in fact completely different... to an observer of the origin of the psychological idea. But to those of us in the present day, when it is religious dogma and a central aspect of current culture, the difference is so difficult to see, they can become identical, from a practical standpoint.

Generally, I find that many are not willing to recognise and try to disentangle beliefs from the psychological aspects, especially in relation to both the nature of life after death and God's existence. With both issues there is no clear proof or logical arguments for or against because it comes down to speculation, so to a large extent it may be personal preference as opposed to solid philosophy arguments.

That is the conclusion which I have come to based on my own uncertainty and indecision over which I prefer to believe. On a psychological level, I am not sure that I would like to live on beyond this life span but I am sad about other people I know who have died. I rather like the idea of reincarnation but that doesn't mean that I think it is possible. The only aspect which does make me wonder is some of the most advanced minds or geniuses and whether such knowledge and understanding could have reached within the scope of an individual lifetime.

[JackDaydream]

Sanctified perpetuation of ancestors is present in all societies. Ancestor worship may seem not to figure largely in today's scientific times but ancestral sanctification is present in traditional rituals such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, monarchy, and more local celebrations such as common riding in the Scottish Borders that always celebrate the local spirit and a quasi -historical event .

In popular culture there is plenty of ancestor worship. Hollywood makes a large part of its living from ancestor glorification.

Ancestor worship and its less obvious modern traditions is necessary to keep people integrated within their tribes and societies.

So-called 'life after death', where personalities survive death ,is a superstitious spin-off from ancestor worship, and is psychologically attractive for obvious reasons.

It is interesting to think about how memory of the dead exists in conjunction with the veneration of the dead. Some are probably remembered more than others and the effects of one's life live on in various ways. The wish to have children is also a form of continuation of the lineage. Some famous people become like immortal icons and I was thinking about this in relation to some of the rock legends recently when I was in a shop and saw 2023 calendars showing Elvis, John Lennon and various others. Many of the biggest music legends, including Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain may have grown in public importance through their early deaths.

One other aspect of the area in between ancestral memories and the issue of life after death is the experience of ghosts. I have never seen a ghost but I know many who say that they have. In particular, when I was working in one psychiatric unit, which had been a mother and baby unit, a number of staff claimed to have felt a sinister presence on entering one particular bedroom because they felt the prescence of a ghost of a baby. The ward I worked on was only based on that ward temporarily while some renovations were done on the usual one but I know that a number of staff members were unhappy there on account of their experience of the ghost of the baby. I also lived in a house where a couple experienced what they believed to be a haunting of a musician who had died on the stairs until they had it blessed.