Philosophical Vegan Forum

Pumpkin wrote:I'm not putting my hand in the fire for a life after death, because death is just our worst fears and may be due to psychology. The fact that I believe in a higher being doesn't mean that we go on as a ghost. Or go on on whatever. Death is the end of the body I don't know if there's a soul. Everything logic speaks against that.
In fact, I don't think that we humans can go on, it's like a candle in the wind...death is inevitable.

we are made of star dust, we are energy within matter, so after we die, that energy will return to its source.

I am not particularly afraid of death. I have come close a few times, and I was okay with it. I mean I am afraid of the process only because of the whole survival mechanism but going on or not, the idea dying itself doesn't really bother me at all. The thing that sways my beliefs on towards an afterlife is there is so much anecdotal evidence throughout the ages from not just religious but highly credible scientists and everyone in between. There must be something to that.

I don't believe in any god, and I believe the Abrahamic gods definitely don't exist.

brimstoneSalad wrote:In terms of the existence of any such a being, I think the question is better answered by ignosticism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignosticism

Exactly, what is a god? If a race of aliens from a previous or alternate universe created this one, are they considered gods? Most theists I've asked said no, because a god has to be uncaused. In that case, are the gods of the ancient pantheons not actually gods? Not according to most theists of today, apparently, but they were considered gods by the people who believed in them.

Allison-vega wrote:I am not particularly afraid of death. I have come close a few times, and I was okay with it. I mean I am afraid of the process only because of the whole survival mechanism but going on or not, the idea dying itself doesn't really bother me at all. The thing that sways my beliefs on towards an afterlife is there is so much anecdotal evidence throughout the ages from not just religious but highly credible scientists and everyone in between. There must be something to that.

I am afraid of death, I'd rather live forever than die fifty years from now. I don't believe in an afterlife. What were the most convincing anecdotal evidences of afterlife for you, or is it more about the amount of them?

Allison-vega wrote:I am not particularly afraid of death. I have come close a few times, and I was okay with it. I mean I am afraid of the process only because of the whole survival mechanism but going on or not, the idea dying itself doesn't really bother me at all. The thing that sways my beliefs on towards an afterlife is there is so much anecdotal evidence throughout the ages from not just religious but highly credible scientists and everyone in between. There must be something to that.

Not particularly afraid of not existing either though I am afraid of the process of dyinng. There's no indication that it isn't painful, it might probably be very painful. So I'd much rather have voluntary euthanasia at a pre decided time though Idk if there are such legal provisions anywhere for it.

Regarding afterlife, with even a little understanding of basic biology, cell death (apoptosis) and neuroscience of brain and behavior it is obvious that any concept of an afterlife is incredibly ridiculous. Your brain is what determines every facet of your behavior, if parts of your brain are damaged you lose part of your functioning depending on which parts are damages. And if the whole of it is damaged you don't exist. That's it really. So are stories about resurrection. Cell death is an irreversible process (apoptosis/necrosis). Once your cells die especially your brain cells which happens within a short time after your heart stops, there is no reversal possible. Life occurs before death, not after it. Death is an irreversible process and your entire behavior is a product of your brain whose cells are irreversibly destroyed once you die.

Hi Jaywalker,

I can't think of everyone but here are a few sources,
Dr Raymond Moody, Dr Jeffery Long, Dr Eban Alexander, Robert Monroe, Tom Campbell. They are just a few of the mainstream sources that I can think of. I can't say for sure that's true from what information they give, but they definitely make a good case which sways me in that direction. Also there are many other sources from people I know personally and trust. I hope we, as in the world can explore their work a little more.

Hi garrethdsouza,

One major problem is no neurosciences has yet located in our brain the source of our consciousness. For us to make a final determination we need to define what it is that makes us us. Everything we think we know of the brain is constantly being overturned which adds to the complexity. There are also plenty of cases in which the brain has learned to adapt and thrive from damage so I can't say whether we need our entire brain to exist. Of course there is probably a lot more we have yet to discover.

There are also many discoveries being made in quantum physics which point to possibilities beyond. If there is something more going on, such as the observer effect, it doesn't seem like a stretch to consider there is more to our existence than material.