Presenter Information
Julia Strimling, Duquesne University Honors College
Abstract
Plato has long been acknowledged for his significant role in the development of the Christian perspective regarding immortality. The following analysis demonstrates how Plato’s perspective on what follows death, which shaped Christian eschatology, aligns with the themes presented in the Harry Potter series. Using Plato’s Phaedo, this paper will compare Plato’s ideas about the immortality of the soul to how J. K. Rowling portrays immortality, illuminating the presence of Christian thought in the famous Harry Potter series. These connections include the beliefs that the soul survives the physical death of the body, one must nourish and protect their soul, one must accept death when the time comes, and a form of judgment occurs upon one’s death and determines the destination of one’s soul.
Keywords: immortality, Christianity, Harry Potter, religion, death, soul, spiritual, physical
School
School of Nursing
Advisor
Daniel Scheid, PhD
Submission Type
Paper
Publication Date
2022-04-20
Included in
Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, Christianity Commons, Practical Theology Commons
How does the Harry Potter series connect to Plato's belief in the immortality of the soul and finitude of the body?
Plato has long been acknowledged for his significant role in the development of the Christian perspective regarding immortality. The following analysis demonstrates how Plato’s perspective on what follows death, which shaped Christian eschatology, aligns with the themes presented in the Harry Potter series. Using Plato’s Phaedo, this paper will compare Plato’s ideas about the immortality of the soul to how J. K. Rowling portrays immortality, illuminating the presence of Christian thought in the famous Harry Potter series. These connections include the beliefs that the soul survives the physical death of the body, one must nourish and protect their soul, one must accept death when the time comes, and a form of judgment occurs upon one’s death and determines the destination of one’s soul.
Keywords: immortality, Christianity, Harry Potter, religion, death, soul, spiritual, physical