In Scheffler's self-consciously idiosyncratic use of the term, the "afterlife" is neither a supernatural continuation of this life, nor the result of a deeper naturalistic understanding of the kind of thing we are; it is what John Stuart Mill called "the onward rush of mankind," the collective life of humanity after our individual deaths. Scheffler's thesis is that the onward rush of humankind – the collective afterlife – is much more important to us than we are ordinarily apt to notice. [6]
Assessing the argument, the English philosopher John Cottingham wrote: "Scheffler has produced a superb essay – indeed it seems to me about as good as analytic philosophy gets. It is entirely free from obfuscating jargon and other tiresome tricks of the trade, yet it is meticulously argued and demanding in exactly the right way – forcing us to think about hitherto unexamined implications of our existing beliefs." [7]
Selected books
- Why Worry About Future Generations (Oxford University Press, 2018)
- Death and the Afterlife (Oxford University Press, 2013)
- Equality and Tradition (Oxford University Press, 2010)
- Boundaries and Allegiances: Problems of Justice and Responsibility in Liberal Thought (Oxford University Press, 2001)
- The Rejection of Consequentialism (Oxford University Press 2nd ed., 1994) (editor)
- Human Morality (Oxford University Press, 1992)
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References
- ↑ "Samuel Scheffler, Faculty of Philosophy - NYU". nyu.edu.
- ↑ "Faculty Profile - Samuel Scheffler".
- ↑ "Samuel Scheffler". berkeley.edu.
- ↑ "Press Releases - American Academy of Arts & Sciences". amacad.org.
- ↑ "Utenlandske medlemmer" (in Norwegian). Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters . Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ↑ "Is Life a Ponzi Scheme?". bostonreview.net.
- ↑ ENR // AgencyND // University of Notre Dame. "Death and the Afterlife". nd.edu.
External links
Samuel Scheffler | |
|---|---|
| Born | Samuel Ira Scheffler 1951 (age 71–72) |
| Nationality | American |
| Parent | Israel Scheffler |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | |
| Thesis | Agents and Outcomes (1977) |
| Doctoral advisor | Thomas Nagel |
| Influences | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Other | |
