I think that it’s a logical error on the part of both Harry and Quirrell to assume that if an afterlife exists then one should immediately kill themselves to achieve it. I understand that it might seem to logically make sense that if there is a better afterlife then one should of course go for the better life, but I think that that assumes too much about an afterlife. For one, Dumbledore never said that the afterlife would be better, only “the next great adventure.” While I understand that the comfort of the afterlife for many is that it will be better than life on earth, I don’t see why it has to be this way in order to be comforting. I enjoy reading new books even if they are worse than ones I’ve finished, and if I find a new book that I like more than one I’ve already read, I don’t regret reading the first book or not switching to the second sooner. There is utility in newness and uniqueness, and I think it is more important to maximize that than sacrifice it in order to “maximize benefit”.
That touches on my next point: if your soul is truly immortal in the afterlife, why hurry to get there? If you can enjoy normal life and possibly find things in it that don’t exist in the afterlife, then you should try to live as long as possible before inevitably moving on, because it isn’t like you are wasting time in the afterlife. If I die at age 10 and live in eternal joy in the afterlife, I’ve in total lived infinite happy years plus 10 normal years. If I die at age 90, I’ve lived infinite happy years plus 90 normal years. It’s actually by living longer and not by dying quickly that I maximize unique experiences and joy (assuming my mortal years contained at least some happiness). Harry says that he wants to experience and discover all life has to offer, but eventually the one experience he’ll lack is death and what lies beyond; just because that experience is permanent doesn’t make it less of an experience.
Ultimately, I agree with Harry that we should be trying to extend our lives as long as we can, but not to escape the destruction of our souls. Rather, we should seek longevity simply to get the most out of life before inevitably moving to a new experience. If I was offered immortality, I’d take it, but only on the condition that one day I could choose to die, because if I couldn’t then in a sense I’d be dead to the afterlife and locked away from whatever joys (and sorrows) it may have, just as if I die I would be locked away from the joys and sorrows of life. Thus I believe the ideal way to live in order to maximize both experiences is to try to live in the normal life as long as possible before finally switching.
Now, this argument only refutes the erroneous argument that believers in an afterlife should kill themselves. If you don’t believe in an afterlife then its easy to see why you would want to live forever, and I don’t blame you (although you wouldn’t be justified in permanently ending anyone else in order to preserve yourself. That’s selfish, hypocritical and evil, which Harry recognizes)
I think that it’s a logical error on the part of both Harry and Quirrell to assume that if an afterlife exists then one should immediately kill themselves to achieve it. I understand that it might seem to logically make sense that if there is a better afterlife then one should of course go for the better life, but I think that that assumes too much about an afterlife. For one, Dumbledore never said that the afterlife would be better, only “the next great adventure.” While I understand that the comfort of the afterlife for many is that it will be better than life on earth, I don’t see why it has to be this way in order to be comforting. I enjoy reading new books even if they are worse than ones I’ve finished, and if I find a new book that I like more than one I’ve already read, I don’t regret reading the first book or not switching to the second sooner. There is utility in newness and uniqueness, and I think it is more important to maximize that than sacrifice it in order to “maximize benefit”.
That touches on my next point: if your soul is truly immortal in the afterlife, why hurry to get there? If you can enjoy normal life and possibly find things in it that don’t exist in the afterlife, then you should try to live as long as possible before inevitably moving on, because it isn’t like you are wasting time in the afterlife. If I die at age 10 and live in eternal joy in the afterlife, I’ve in total lived infinite happy years plus 10 normal years. If I die at age 90, I’ve lived infinite happy years plus 90 normal years. It’s actually by living longer and not by dying quickly that I maximize unique experiences and joy (assuming my mortal years contained at least some happiness). Harry says that he wants to experience and discover all life has to offer, but eventually the one experience he’ll lack is death and what lies beyond; just because that experience is permanent doesn’t make it less of an experience.
Ultimately, I agree with Harry that we should be trying to extend our lives as long as we can, but not to escape the destruction of our souls. Rather, we should seek longevity simply to get the most out of life before inevitably moving to a new experience. If I was offered immortality, I’d take it, but only on the condition that one day I could choose to die, because if I couldn’t then in a sense I’d be dead to the afterlife and locked away from whatever joys (and sorrows) it may have, just as if I die I would be locked away from the joys and sorrows of life. Thus I believe the ideal way to live in order to maximize both experiences is to try to live in the normal life as long as possible before finally switching.
Now, this argument only refutes the erroneous argument that believers in an afterlife should kill themselves. If you don’t believe in an afterlife then its easy to see why you would want to live forever, and I don’t blame you (although you wouldn’t be justified in permanently ending anyone else in order to preserve yourself. That’s selfish, hypocritical and evil, which Harry recognizes)