Fundamentalists/Atheists: Thoughts on Death

[Marco12]

Since most of us here are fundamentalists/atheists, I was wondering what you guys think abut death. Do you guys fear it? Have you guys accepted death?

I sometimes start thinking and to know it is inevitable it's hard to assimilate. I was wondering what was your philosophy of death.

 

[Evo]

Death happens, it's the end. Nothing to worry about because you will no longer exist, it's the ulitimate relaxation and release from worry.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I have a problem with the finality of it. It would be easy to take if it were like some 1000 year sleep or something. But you will cease to exist and forever, never to return. Ever ever ever.

 

[Marco12]

I have a problem with the finality of it. It would be easy to take if it were like some 1000 year sleep or something. But you will cease to exist and forever, never to return. Ever ever ever.

That's my point, when you put it that way it's hard to accept it. I wish I had the faith of religious people that they truly believe there is life after death...

 

[Pattonias]

solar panel. deep freezer. Pre-pay to rent a storage room for a 1000 years.

The perfect plan.

 

[Evo]

It won't be hard to accept when you no longer exist. It's only until the time of your death that you'll ever think about it.

 

[Evo]

That's my point, when you put it that way it's hard to accept it. I wish I had the faith of religious people that they truly believe there is life after death...

But it's the same for them in the end...nothing.

I've embraced it and so I know that this is my one chance to be the best I can be, no second chances.

I think that when people think there's a gray area, another chance, they don't do their best, why should they?

So they're a bit greedy, selfish, not so nice, they figure either they can do better next time, or as long as they aren't murderers, they will be accepted into heaven and party forever.

 

[Marco12]

It won't be hard to accept when you no longer exist. It's only until the time of your death that you'll ever think about it.

Yeah you are right. At the end the thought of being worry-free might be the only consolation we have.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

It won't be hard to accept when you no longer exist. It's only until the time of your death that you'll ever think about it.

That doesn't comfort me in the slightest. Obviously I know I won't care, when I am dead, but I am still living now, so I care :)

 

[Evo]

That doesn't comfort me in the slightest. Obviously I know I won't care, when I am dead, but I am still living now, so I care :)

We'll all chip in and get you preserved.

I think it's got to scare any normal healthy person. To think that you will learn no more, contribute no more. Death for a young, healthy productive person is different from being elderly and decrepit.

When you get old, the body and the mind start failing and I hear that death is welcomed.

 

[Marco12]

Or we can comfort ourselves with the fact that we are alive.As sad as that sounds, we were given this opportunity and like Evo said we must make the best out of it for there are no second chances...

 

[lisab]

Since most of us here are fundamentalists/atheists, I was wondering what you guys think abut death. Do you guys fear it? Have you guys accepted death?

I sometimes start thinking and to know it is inevitable it's hard to assimilate. I was wondering what was your philosophy of death.

Just curious, how are you using the term 'fundamentalist'?

I have no fear of death, but I don't want it to happen any time soon. I'm atheist and profoundly aware that that death is the end, nothing after that. It's an intense feeling, and it makes life soooo sweet.

 

[DaveC426913]

"Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome. "
- Isaac Asimov

or:

One might not fear death, but dying can be pretty unpleasant.

 

[Marco12]

Just curious, how are you using the term 'fundamentalist'?

I have no fear of death, but I don't want it to happen any time soon. I'm atheist and profoundly aware that that death is the end, nothing after that. It's an intense feeling, and it makes life soooo sweet.

Fundamentalist as we are not guided by religious (which most have some sort of life after death belief) doctrines, and we believe in scientific facts. Therefore death seems like the end for us atheists...well fundamentalism can be religious or non-religious and obviously I mean non-religious fundamentalism that started in the 1920's

I agree that its an intense feeling, but how does it make life sweet?

 

[DaveC426913]

To think that you will ... contribute no more.

Which as a rationale for some to have children. A form of immortality.

 

[G037H3]

Which as a rationale for some to have children. A form of immortality.

Immortality that is watered down by powers of 2.

 

[JaredJames]

Immortality that is watered down by powers of 2.

Perhaps a clone then?

 

[Maui]

Since most of us here are fundamentalists/atheists, I was wondering what you guys think abut death. Do you guys fear it? Have you guys accepted death?

A good theory must match experiments. Let's see how much H2O our theories about the world hold in the ultimate test.

 

[Chronos]

Personally, I think there is more to being human than a biological accident that happens to be self aware. Do feelings, morality, and occasional bouts of altruistic behavior logically contribute to survival of the species? The problem with god is we have dumbed it down to our level [re: fundamentalism]. Science broke free from the reins of ignorance in the middle ages. Unfortunately, theism has not. I have the unshakable belief there is a higher moral order woven into the fabric of the universe. Existence without purpose is pointless, IMO.

 

[JaredJames]

Existence without purpose is pointless, IMO.

I find it amazing how many people subscribe to this trail of thought.

I personally see no reason for there to be a 'purpose'. I am yet to here a convincing argument for there to be one. All I hear is people saying "there must be", they never give an actual reason that goes beyond their own personal need for there to be one.

 

[waht]

We experience death everyday when we go to sleep. Although there are many processes going on in the brain at the time, so it's not really death, but you are mostly unaware of anything until you wake up. Once you wake up, a few hours has passed in which you no knowledge of, and memories of what happened. You are temporarily unconscious in sleep. It is the same with death, except that you never wake up.

 

[JaredJames]

We experience death everyday when we go to sleep. Although there are many processes going on in the brain at the time, so it's not really death, but you are mostly unaware of anything until you wake up. Once you wake up, a few hours has passed in which you no knowledge of, and memories of what happened. You are temporarily unconscious in sleep. It is the same with death, except that you never wake up.

Ooh so I get to dream?

Wouldn't quite put it on par.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

It is the same with death, except that you never wake up.

yeah, that is the problem. again, don't see how that thought helps anyone. when you go to sleep you expect to wake up.

 

[JaredJames]

Personally I agree with what someone said previously (I forget who, but credit goes to them).

It's to do with not being able to comprehend your inner monologue not being there. Every moment you're awake you have it. Even if you try to block it out, it's always there. You can't get rid of it, it's every thought you have.

It's trying to understand that once you die, that is no longer there. You just stop.

Think to yourself "I'm going to stop thinking for a bit" and try to do it. As you do it, you will notice you're still thinking and the monologue is still there. You just can't shut it up and get it to go away.

Sorry it's not the best explanation of it, I can't remember the exact wording.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Think to yourself "I'm going to stop thinking for a bit" and try to do it. As you do it, you will notice you're still thinking and the monologue is still there. You just can't shut it up and get it to go away.

I think eastern Yogi can do this. Their solution is to "die before you die". But I always thought that led to a boring life. Stress and ego are awesome lol.

 

[waht]

Ooh so I get to dream?

Wouldn't quite put it on par.

People have dreams all the time, but it's not always the case that they are aware of them. Perhaps a more real experience of death, and live to tell the tale, would be to go under a general anesthetic.

The net effect is that there is a gap in your life for a few hours that you are unconscious. You have absolutely no memories of anything that has happened to you in that time.

 

[_Tully]

Thoughts on death, eh?

Well, hakuna matata I suppose.

 

[waht]

The approach I take on the philosophy of death is through fractals, chaos, ecology, non-equilibrium thermodynamics, and dissipative structures.

Dissipative structures are complex structures that arise from disorder due to a flow of energy. A good example of this is a whirlpool forming on a river. The flow of water molecules down stream is disordered, but when they hit an obstruction such as a rock, a whirlpool forms. One can conclude that the circular shape of the whirlpool funnel is now more organized than just a mere flow of water down stream.

It is the same with a cell, which can described as a stable structure of molecules that forms due the flow of chemical energy between them, just like a whirlpool on a river, but it's much more complicated and richer.

And so you build on complexity more and more. Cells form higher order organisms, worms, insects, and animals. And in each level in the hierarchy there is a transfer of energy which powers the next level of complexity. Kind of like whirlpools within whirlpools, or zooming out of a Mandelbrot set.

Eventually, by compounding this build up of complexity many times over, humans emerge with their big brains endowed with enough degrees of freedom to begin describing the world. A small of part of world is reflected and encoded in the vast neural network in the brain. That's again like zooming in the Mandelbrot set.

This system is sustained by a constant flow of energy which comes from the sun: light through photosynthesis give energy to plants, plants give energy to herbivore animals that eat them, and other animals eat other animals for those highly prized energy contents, and then humans eat plants and animals for same reason.

And so when you die, that's like putting a stopper in the bathtub. The whirlpool disappears and scatters its molecules into the immediate surroundings. In case of life, the molecules of your body diffuse into the environment for use by other dissipative structures such as bacteria, or bugs that feed on your left over energy contents.

 

[FlexGunship]

When you go to sleep you expect to wake up.

Well, someone has high expectations! When I go to sleep, I expect to lose consciousness. It's all a speculative gamble after that!

EDIT: In fact, when I wake up each morning I'm thinking: "well, not the best possible outcome, but definitely not bad."

 

[Simone Ce-Ce]

I believe man has a soul and that that soul will live on... my physical body is just a container which has an expiration date. Once my physical body has died my soul will live. I'm not so much afraid of death but how I will die... I'm hoping that i will die peacefully in my sleep...

I try not to focus on death but on the fact that I am alive! I'M ALIVE! I'M ALIVE! I'M ALIVE!