Your thoughts on life after death

[photon]

Every night when you go to sleep you experience the same thing, so it doesn't seem that big a deal.

I mean each night you could be killed painlessly and replaced with a clone with a copy of your memories and you wouldn't know the difference.

[JohnnyB]

I would like to find out someday that there is reincarnation or that there is a pleasant afterlife of some sort, but I don't have any good reason to believe it other than the good reason that it might make me happier to believe it. Unfortunately, I'd be aware that's why I was believing it. Also, I think that would really alter my world view, which is not something I'd like to do as I think that believing this is the only shot you get at life makes being alive a more amazing experience. One of my colleagues who is quite devoutly religious seems to believe that none of this life really matters other than how it gets you ready for the next one. That seems very sad to me.

[OutOfTheCube]

I'll go to heaven, as a Christian that's what we believe. What exactly that all entails is a bit of a mystery, though as far as I can tell, it should be awesome. I'll get back to you on it.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by photon

Every night when you go to sleep you experience the same thing, so it doesn't seem that big a deal.

I mean each night you could be killed painlessly and replaced with a clone with a copy of your memories and you wouldn't know the difference.

I've never believed either of these.

Even if you die in your sleep, its different then sleep because something in your body goes terribly wrong, and your body makes you aware of that through pain. And even if you are asleep as you die your heart stops (Painful) and your brain carries on until it runs out of oxygenated blood and then it starves (painful). So even if you are dreaming, theres got to be a sensation there.

If you died, and they activated a clone of you with up to date memories, you wouldn't know or carry on because you as an individual are dead. A clone no matter how exact is still a different person.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by photon

Every night when you go to sleep you experience the same thing, so it doesn't seem that big a deal.

I mean each night you could be killed painlessly and replaced with a clone with a copy of your memories and you wouldn't know the difference.

This is interesting. "You" would be dead, but the living world would not know the difference.

Is is true that all of the cells in our body are constantly replacing themselves? Where are our memories, if the cells come and go?

Deepak talks about quantum souls, but it sounds like a bunch of bunk to me.

http://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/...erlife-debate/

Deepak has a new book out on the subject, Life After Death: The Burden of Proof (Harmony, 2006 ISBN 0307345785), and Michael has written extensively about claims of evidence for the afterlife, so the two of them thought it would be stimulating to have a debate on the topic. Michael read Deepak’s book and goes first in the debate, offering his assessment of the “proofs” presented in Deepak’s book, then Deepak responds. Shorter blog-length versions are published on www.HuffingtonPost.com, with the longer versions presented here and on www.intentBlog.com.

Steven Wright thinks he’s figured out a solution: “I intend to live forever. So far, so good.”

It has been estimated that in the last 50,000 years about 106 billion humans were born. Of the 100 billion people born before the six billion living today, every one of them has died and not one has returned to confirm for us beyond a reasonable doubt that there is life after death.

In reality, the gap between sub-atomic quantum effects and large-scale macro systems is too large to bridge. There is no micro-macro connection. Subatomic particles may be altered when they are observed, but the moon is there even if no one looks at it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immorta...auses_of_death

[SeeBass]

Originally Posted by photon

Every night when you go to sleep you experience the same thing, so it doesn't seem that big a deal.

I mean each night you could be killed painlessly and replaced with a clone with a copy of your memories and you wouldn't know the difference.

My sleep tests, that I have had, would have noticed this.

[Cheese]

Heres a great debate on the afterlife...

http://www.jewishtvnetwork.com/?bcpi...d=802338105001

[peter12]

The pictures stop.

Probably. Sometimes I think there's more, but best to live like there isn't.

[Savvy27]

Having no recollection of what (if anything) happened before being born doesn't negate the possibility of experiencing something after death. Although most of us are certain that we did not experience existence before life as a human, we can really only be nearly certain that we won't experience existence after we die. Which is what makes the topic so interesting.

Personally, I think that all of our experiences can be accounted for physically (e.g. stimuli traveling from nerve endings through the nervous system to the brain, thoughts and other brain activity requiring energy). Therefore, I seriously doubt the possibility of experience post-death.

If there is an after-life, I think that it would be impossible to relate to the human experience (which I guess makes it not very interesting).

[TylerSVT]

Originally Posted by scotty2hotty

Some people DO claim to remember what it was like.

Not saying I believe them. Just sayin.

Lots of people believe that God cured their cancer or God helped them become better drivers etc.

There are crazy people everywhere.

I only have one life, i focus on that. When i die i just want it to be with my wife.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by photon

Every night when you go to sleep you experience the same thing, so it doesn't seem that big a deal.

I mean each night you could be killed painlessly and replaced with a clone with a copy of your memories and you wouldn't know the difference.

except that you would be dead. your friends and everyone else wouldn't know it, but just because you have a clone with all your memories doesn't mean the consciousness transfers over

that's what bugged me about that 6th Day movie, with the bad guy continually cloning himself to attain eternal life. he would have been dead from his perspective after the first one, so what would be the point?

[Adayinthe]

A silly part of me tries to convince myself there is something so incredibly special about myself that I will not die. I then realize how completely ridiculous that is, and after a few moments filled with panic concerning the inevitable, I am able to rationalize it somehow.

As much as one can rationalize a complete unknown. And then I waver because I wasn't raised in a religious household, but have never been opposed to the notion of a heaven/hell scenario. The idea of nothing existing after death makes sense to me, and I find this idea slightly more comforting.

I have lived, and now I am dead. Simple.

[troutman]

Search out this episode of Nova Science Now on PBS:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/ca...e-forever.html

This provocative episode of NOVA scienceNOW examines whether we can slow down the aging process, looks at the latest on human hibernation, and checks in with bioengineers and a computer scientist inventing ways to keep us "going forever." Neil deGrasse Tyson also takes a lighthearted look at whether the tricks that have kept a 1966 Volvo running for 2.7 million miles can also help the human body go the extra mile.

Can We Slow Aging?

A gene called FOXO may be a real elixir of longevity. Can all of us harness its power?

[Savvy27]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

I've never believed either of these.

Even if you die in your sleep, its different then sleep because something in your body goes terribly wrong, and your body makes you aware of that through pain. And even if you are asleep as you die your heart stops (Painful) and your brain carries on until it runs out of oxygenated blood and then it starves (painful). So even if you are dreaming, theres got to be a sensation there.

What makes you say that? I thought that were no nerve endings in the brain.

[Muta]

After death, I'm assuming my body gets flushed from the human-harvester power plants, and then I am liquified and fed intraveneously through tubes to other human batteries that power the grid for our machine overlords.

[Savvy27]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

except that you would be dead. your friends and everyone else wouldn't know it, but just because you have a clone with all your memories doesn't mean the consciousness transfers over

that's what bugged me about that 6th Day movie, with the bad guy continually cloning himself to attain eternal life. he would have been dead from his perspective after the first one, so what would be the point?

Good point. (Don't read if you haven't seen The Prestige)

Spoiler!

This problem was acknowledged in The Prestige when Hugh Jackman's character claimed that he had courage when he let one version of himself be drowned every time he performed his trick, because he didn't know if his consciousness would be on the balcony or in the water tank.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by Savvy27

What makes you say that? I thought that were no nerve endings in the brain.

I still think that the brain has an awareness that its starving or dying.

that has to be some kind of warning.

[Kipper is King]

I believe in Heaven. Am I absolutely certain of it? No. It could just be lights out. However, I feel that God exists, so if that is the case, then Heaven must exist, too.

[maidestone]

When you are dead, you will realize you really cannot die.

[TheyCallMeBruce]

Depends on how good you are. If you're a bad person, you end up in a place similar to a soap opera, like general hospital or coronation street for eternity.

If you're just normal like the rest of us, you'll end up in China. The Money God will ask you some gambling questions and if you answer them right he'll give you some hell notes.

If you've been super good, then you win a trip to the Maxim golf experience in BC where you party with beautiful women and drink coors light forever.