Philosophy of human nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Philosophy of human nature - Essay Example Humans are the only beings who realize their mortality and are able to make a death the most sensational topic for discussions. Inevitability of own death is accepted by people not as an abstract verity but something that is able to bring the biggest emotional shock and touch the deepest feelings of personal inner world. To find the answers on the questions of life sense and existence of life after death, mythology, religion, philosophy and even art present numerous arguments to support both sides of the coin. The theme of life and death is everlasting and essential for the spiritual culture of humanity in all its manifestations. This permanent philosophical matter is widely covered in print and broadcasting media. Reflecting about possibility and existence of eternal life is intriguing, first of all, because we do not know the exact explanation with the lack of doubts in its veracity. Everything that is unconceivable and unknown causes interest and stimulates imagination. The proble m of death and everything that concerns it has been mentioned since ancient times by Plato. Humanity may have a great hope for the existence of life after death; however, there is no any certainty or scientific proof for conjecture. The only thing left is to make assumptions, which are able to form person’s belief and positive attitude or distrust and rejection. The discussion of death may cause various reactions including even groundless prejudices and undisguised fear. However, among respectable scientists, there are a lot of optimists who present persuasive arguments to believe that after death human’s soul does not disappear. One of such literary works that stimulates thinking process and force people to review own opinions is the article of Andrew Dell’Olio, who claims that near-death experience (NDE) is a valid ground to believe in eternal life. Due to the stories of people who have experienced near-death, it has been concluded that when a person dies, the brain still remains its activity and consciousness; otherwise it is hard to explain how people who return to life remember everything that has happened in addition to the new visions that they have seen during the death of the body. According to the statistics, the number of clinical deaths increases because of the technological development and innovations implemented to the medical services, which help to revive a person after death. Therefore, today there are more and more people who have had NDE and based on their memories and feelings some significant conclusions can be made. Despite ambiguity of philosophers’ attitude, Dell’Olio tries to find out whether there is a rational basis to believe that NDEs prove the eternal life. It is evident that studies on the matter of near-death should take into account such factors as mind and body illnesses of the patient and the nature of personal identity. In spite of the fact that life after death is genuinely philosophical i ssue, it is fair to admit that there is a tendency of philosophers to ignore this question mostly because of its over popularity and urgency. Materialists consider that NDE does not represent any interest for philosophy simply because it is only hallucinations, which are caused by the decrease of brain’s activity. Basing his argument on the religious aspects, Dell’