Secular hopes in the face of death

Bovens, Luc (2018) Secular hopes in the face of death. In: Green, Rochelle, (ed.) Theories of Hope: Exploring Alternative Affective Dimensions of Human Experience. Lexington Books, Lanham, USA. ISBN 9781498563628

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Abstract

Many religions offer hope for a life that transcends death and believers find great comfort in this. Non-believers typically do not have such hopes. In the face of death, they may find consolation in feeling contented with the life they have lived. But do they have hopes? I will identify a range of distinctly secular hopes at the end of life. Nothing stops religious people from sharing these secular hopes, in addition to their hope for eternal life. I will distinguish between (a) hopes about one’s life, (b) hopes about one’s death, (c) hopes about attitudes of others, and (d) hopes about the future. But before turning to these hopes, I will reflect on the following question: What is it that would keep a person from hoping for eternal life?

Item Type:	Book Section
Official URL:	https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781498563628
Additional Information:	© 2019 Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
Divisions:	Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Date Deposited:	17 Aug 2017 13:23
Last Modified:	15 Sep 2023 10:04
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/84024

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