Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did many philosophers stop treating immortality as a philosophical claim?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Fragment of a Roman fresco showing Socrates seated and draped in a white robe, with Greek text above, on a red background with visible cracks. — Philosophical anthropology Socrates, Roman fresco, 1st century bce; in the Ephesus Museum, Selçuk, Turkey.

In the context of philosophical anthropology, the decline of immortality as a central philosophical claim is primarily attributed to the secularization of philosophy under the growing influence of science during the late 19th century.1

As scientific understanding advanced, vital functions previously attributed to an immaterial soul were increasingly explained through physical and physiological processes. This shift led many philosophers to equate mental life with the functioning of the physical brain, a perspective that is largely inhospitable to traditional notions of immortality. Consequently, while the concept of the "soul" was refined into the modern concept of the "mind"—the seat of intellectual and moral powers—many ideas traditionally associated with the soul, such as immortality, were largely abandoned by philosophy or relegated to the domain of religion.23

Furthermore, critics have long questioned whether there is sufficient rational evidence to support the existence of an indestructible soul. While some thinkers, such as Immanuel Kant, attempted to frame immortality as a necessary postulate for moral life, these arguments have faced significant criticism regarding their logical necessity.31