Death and Eternal Life
الموت والحياة الأبدية
La Mort et la vie éternelle
John Hick argues that a credible doctrine of life after death must be constructed by drawing on multiple religious traditions and philosophical analysis, and that such a doctrine is both rationally defensible and morally required by a theodicy of soul-making.
Editorial summary
John Hick's "Death and Eternal Life" represents a groundbreaking contribution to philosophical theology's engagement with eschatology, offering a pluralistic Christian perspective that challenges traditional Western conceptions of the afterlife. The work systematically examines diverse religious and philosophical approaches to post-mortem existence while developing Hick's distinctive thesis that multiple religious traditions may offer complementary insights into humanity's ultimate destiny.
The monograph employs a methodology that combines analytical philosophy with comparative religion, critically evaluating materialist, dualist, and idealist theories of mind while engaging seriously with Hindu, Buddhist, and Islamic eschatologies alongside Christian doctrine. Hick argues against both secular materialism's denial of survival and traditional Christianity's exclusivist soteriology, proposing instead what he terms "universal salvation" achieved through a process of moral and spiritual development extending beyond death.
Central to Hick's argument is his reconceptualization of the person as a psycho-physical unity capable of being "re-created" by God in a resurrection body. He rejects Cartesian dualism and its associated difficulties while maintaining that personhood requires embodiment of some kind. His innovative "replica theory" suggests that God could create an exact psycho-physical duplicate of a deceased person in another space, preserving personal identity through divine action rather than substantial continuity.
The work directly challenges both atheistic naturalism and Christian particularism. Against naturalists, Hick marshals parapsychological evidence and philosophical arguments for the coherence of survival. Against exclusivist Christians, he develops a theodicy requiring universal salvation as the only morally acceptable resolution to the problem of evil. His proposal envisions multiple post-mortem states or "pareschata" through which persons progress toward ultimate union with the Real.
Hick's contribution significantly shaped subsequent debates in philosophy of religion regarding personal identity, religious pluralism, and theodicy. His willingness to incorporate insights from Eastern religions while maintaining a broadly Christian framework exemplifies the analytical tradition's movement toward global philosophy of religion. Critics question whether his universalism undermines moral seriousness and whether his replica theory genuinely preserves personal identity. Nevertheless, the work remains influential for its rigorous philosophical treatment of eschatology and its challenge to both secular and religious orthodoxies regarding humanity's ultimate fate, demonstrating how analytical philosophical theology can constructively engage religious diversity while addressing perennial questions about death and meaning.
Argument formulations engaged
Related works
Hick, John Death and Eternal Life.
@book{death-and-eternal-life,
author = {Hick, John},
title = {Death and Eternal Life},
year = {n.d.},
url = {https://god-database.com/en/works/death-and-eternal-life}
}