Philosophers and theologians have reflected on the destiny of the human being for centuries. African philosophers have reflected on the nature of the soul and the possibility of immortality from a distinctly African perspective. In this chapter, I contribute to debates in the literature by articulating a unique perspective on death and immortality. I adopt the African limited God framework in this chapter. Specifically, I present a mood theory of God that denies that the divine being possesses the properties of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence, while granting him vast powers, knowledge, and conceiving him as a benevolent creator. I raise two questions. (1) If God is conceived as limited, can we hope for immortality? (2) To what extent can death be regarded as an evil phenomenon? I assert that personal immortality may well be a mirage in a universe without a perfect God even as death can be conceived as an evil in view of the problem of epistemic deficit that arises when one raises questions about the purpose of human life and the rationale of the universe.

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Death and Immortality

  • Ada Agada

摘要

Philosophers and theologians have reflected on the destiny of the human being for centuries. African philosophers have reflected on the nature of the soul and the possibility of immortality from a distinctly African perspective. In this chapter, I contribute to debates in the literature by articulating a unique perspective on death and immortality. I adopt the African limited God framework in this chapter. Specifically, I present a mood theory of God that denies that the divine being possesses the properties of omnipotence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence, while granting him vast powers, knowledge, and conceiving him as a benevolent creator. I raise two questions. (1) If God is conceived as limited, can we hope for immortality? (2) To what extent can death be regarded as an evil phenomenon? I assert that personal immortality may well be a mirage in a universe without a perfect God even as death can be conceived as an evil in view of the problem of epistemic deficit that arises when one raises questions about the purpose of human life and the rationale of the universe.