I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Immortality and the Afterlife

2. Course Prefix & Number:
PHIL 1417

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

4. Course Description:

This philosophy course examines concepts of the afterlife, personal survival and immortality from the perspectives of religion, philosophy and science. Examination of afterlife beliefs of major world religions will include detailed investigation of concepts of paradise, physical resurrection, reincarnation, and cosmic unity. Philosophical arguments for and against survival as well as analysis of theories of self and mind as seen from the perspectives of dualism, materialism, hypophenomenalism and functionalism will be examined in terms of their relationship to various types of survival; contemporary views derived from near death experiences, quantum physics and probability will also be considered.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

Bemidji State University, PHIL 2270 Death and Survival, 3 credits

III. Course Purpose

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:

• Goal 2 – Critical Thinking
• Goal 6 – Humanities and Fine Arts

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate reading and listening skills	Evidence understanding of content and major ideas conveyed in assigned readings and lecture content.
Apply abstract ideas to concrete situations	Satisfactorily assess afterlife concepts presented in readings, class lecture and discussion in terms of quality, quantity and relevance of evidence in short written assignments and group discussion exercises.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Demonstrate awareness of the scope and variety of works in the arts and humanities.  MnTC Goal 6
• Respond critically to works in the arts and humanities.  MnTC Goal 6
• Articulate an informed personal reaction to works in the arts and humanities.  MnTC Goal 6
• Understand those works as expressions of individual and human values within a historical and social context.  MnTC Goal 6
• Engage with subject matter in creative and original interpretive manner.  MnTC Goal 6
• Gather factual information and apply it to a given problem in a manner that is relevant, clear, comprehensive, and conscious of possible bias in the information selected.  MnTC Goal 2
• Imagine and seek out a variety of possible goals, assumptions, interpretations, or perspectives that can give alternative meanings or solutions to given situations or problems.  MnTC Goal 2
• Recognize and articulate the value assumptions that underlie and affect decisions, interpretations, analyses, and evaluations made by others and ourselves.  MnTC Goal 2
• Analyze the logical connections among the facts, goals, and implicit assumptions relevant to a problem or claim; generate and evaluate implications that follow from them.  MnTC Goal 2

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. Introduction
• Historical prevalence and extent of afterlife beliefs
• Broad overview of range of beliefs
• Overview of critical thinking methodology that will form the basis of class work.
• Argument: Clarifying premises and conclusions
• Cogent induction and sound deduction
• Fallacies of relevance
• Fallacies of insufficient information
• Fallacies of presumption
• Source credibility factors
2. Abrahamic Faiths—Heaven, Hell, Resurrection
• Judaism, selected literary accounts and artistic representations
• Christianity, selected literary accounts and artistic representations
• Islam, selected literary accounts and artistic representations
• Related Theories of mind and identity
• Dualism: Plato, Descartes, C.S. Lewis
• Reductive Materialism: Hobbes, Churchland, B. Russell
• Functionalism: Hilary Putnam
• Kant’s argument from moral duty
• Hick’s soul building argument
3. Dharmic Faiths – Reincarnation, Moksha, Nirvana
• Hinduism, selected literary accounts and artistic representations
• Buddhism, selected literary accounts and artistic representations
• Related Theories of Mind and identity
• Bundle Theory: Hume
• Hypophenomenalism: Ducasse
4. Experience based arguments
• Apparitions
• Messages from the dead
• Deathbed visions
• Near death experiences
• Neurobiological views
5. Non-religious theories
• “Inside out” theory: Staume
• Omega Point evolutionary views: Bergson, Tippler
• Nick Borstrom’s simulation argument