The Immortality of the Soul is a Matter of Faith and Reason

The immortality of the soul is a fundamental concept of Christianity. Indeed, as St. Paul states, “If for this life only we have hope in Christ, we are the most pitiable of people” (1 Corinthians 15:19). Thus, Christianity would be meaningless if the soul were not immortal.

Yet, more than just a matter of faith, there are also many philosophical arguments for it (c.f. Plato’s Phado, Pascal’s Pensées, etc.). One interesting argument is that of desire, which was made famous by CS Lewis, but originated from St. Thomas Aquinas (ST I Q75A6). To oversimplify the argument for lack of space, within ourselves we find many natural desires (desire for food, desire for water, etc.) and all these desires have an object that can fulfill them (i.e. hunger is fulfilled by food). But within us we also find the desire for eternity. Thus, the object of that desire must also exist.