Amor Vincit Mortas, Or: Why the Best of Us Can Get the Best of Death

Abstract

Unless one believe in an immortal soul, it is assumed that when the body dies, the person dies and is gone, forever. Yet when we talk about the dead, we often hear things like, "They will live on in their deeds," or "They will always be right here, in your heart" or "They are alive in every person that they have touched." Generally, we take these to be metaphors meant to comfort the living, especially the loved ones of the deceased.

In this thesis, I will argue that such statements can be literally true.