There is a significant lack of psychological research on death-as-a-state thinking and expectations. This study aimed to map that unexplored terrain, using qualitative methodology to provide information about what people picture and feel when they think about what comes after death. We investigated conceptions of death, initial associations with the word death and polarity of feeling in death thoughts in 52 young Czech adults. We identified three main types of belief about what happens once we die: conceptions of a specific (...) form of transcendence that comes in multiple shapes, mostly based on an eclectic combination of motifs from various eschatologies; conceptions of non-specific forms of transcendence based on a belief in continued existence in forms that are hard to imagine; conceptions of nothingness after life and for all eternity. (shrink)

The word dignity is frequently used both in clinical and philosophical discourse when referring to and describing the ideal conditions of the patient's treatment, particularly the dying patient. An exploration of the variety of meanings associated with the word dignity will note dignity's ambiguous usage and reveal instrumental concepts needed to better understand the discourse of the dying. When applied to a critique of recent and contemporary criticisms of the medical community's handling of the dying, such concepts might provide a (...) more coherent notion of dignity. Rather than a separate construct, a death with dignity might be viewed as an interactive process among the dying and their caretakers. Together, this interdependent amalgam engages in humanizing communication aimed toward understanding the final needs and wants of the patient. (shrink)

Abstract.In 2006 Swiss theologian Hans Küng added his distinctive and important voice to the science/theology discussion in his work Der Anfang aller Dinge. I summarize here the general contours of Küng's argumentation and briefly evaluate his proposals, especially in relation to his earlier publications. English translations are provided for German citations. After summarizing Küng's response to the question of the search for a unified theory of everything, I present his answer to the question of how theology and science should be (...) related. This leads to a summary of his extensive meditation on science and the question of God's existence from a theological‐philosophical perspective. After examining his thesis concerning creation and evolution, I discuss matters more anthropological and trace the final elements of Küng's argument as they relate to eschatology and science. Finally, I evaluate the general thrust of his argumentation with special reference to his previous publications. (shrink)