The Afterlife in Metaphysics

In metaphysical models, theists generally believe some sort of afterlife awaits people when they die. Atheists generally believe that there is not a life after death. Members of some generally non-theistic religions such as Buddhism, tend to believe in an afterlife like reincarnation but without reference to God.

Metaphysics, Agnostics, and Doubt

Agnostics generally hold the position that like the existence of God, the existence of supernatural phenomena, such as souls or life after death, is unverifiable and therefore unknowable. Some philosophies (i.e. posthumanism, Humanism, and often empiricism) generally hold that there is not an afterlife.

Afterlife as Justice

Many religions, whether they believe in the soul's existence in another world like Christianity, Islam, and many pagan belief systems, or in reincarnation like many forms of Hinduism and Buddhism, believe that one's status in the afterlife is a reward or punishment for their conduct during life. To the extent that the afterlife is a form of justice, it is usually restricted to humans, as animals are not held responsible for their actions.