Fundamentalists/Atheists: Thoughts on Death

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    Death Thoughts
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around participants' thoughts and feelings about death, particularly from the perspectives of fundamentalists and atheists. It explores philosophical views on mortality, the acceptance of death, and the emotional responses associated with the inevitability of dying.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express a lack of fear regarding death, viewing it as a release from existence and worry.
  • Others struggle with the finality of death, wishing for a less absolute end, such as a long sleep.
  • A participant suggests that the belief in an afterlife may lead some to not fully embrace life, while others argue that the absence of such beliefs encourages living to the fullest.
  • There are differing views on whether the thought of death is comforting or distressing, with some finding solace in the idea of non-existence and others feeling anxious about ceasing to contribute to the world.
  • Some participants discuss the concept of immortality through legacy, such as having children, while others critique the notion of purpose in life and existence.
  • A few participants compare the experience of death to sleep, noting the lack of awareness in both states, though this analogy is contested.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

The discussion features multiple competing views on death, with no consensus reached on whether death should be feared, accepted, or understood in a particular way. Participants express a range of emotional responses and philosophical beliefs, indicating a rich but unresolved dialogue.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference personal beliefs and experiences that shape their views on death, while others challenge the assumptions underlying these beliefs. The discussion reflects a variety of philosophical positions without resolving the complexities involved.

  • #31
Maybe we evolved sleep to prepare us better for death. DMT anyone?
 
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  • #32
I'm an idealist, I don't believe in death. If you have fear of death just watch Dan Osman climbing and learn to enjoy every second of life, no matter how close the death is.
 
  • #33
Simone Ce-Ce said:
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!

Souls, don't get me started.

binbots said:
Maybe we evolved sleep to prepare us better for death. DMT anyone?

Where'd you pluck this beauty from?
 
  • #34
Simone Ce-Ce said:
... I'm hoping that i will die peacefully in my sleep...

I want to die peacefully in my sleep too. Like grandpa did.

Not kicking and screaming like his passengers in the back seat.
 
  • #35
jarednjames said:
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.
to be free.freedom from suffering which is life.of course we don't know wether its possible.but that would be a purpose.
if you believe we came from nothing then we can assume we going back there.no purpose other than what we make it.but that is a man made purpose .so its debatable wether that's worth jack ****.
nirvana which is freedom is a funny idea ,and i can't work out wether it needs a creator.or wether it can mean there is no beginning to anything(so no need for creator crap) and yet nirvana seems to suggest a end,but i have thought this can not be the case ,otherwise when we all reach it what then.we stuck at a end to everything.problem.!
however we can not get away from the fact that nirvana does give life a real purpose beyond man made purpose.because nirvana is a state if you like or something .that is not created by us.and it has meaning in that all people want to be free.
however if you look into it ,it is hard not to always come back to nothing.as though nirvana is actaully nothing.
because you can not define or understand nirvana not even slightly,you can not imagine it.
so its easy to say what isn't nirvana in a way,but this is a reduction or elimination. process which seems to lead to nothing.very annoying.
 
  • #36
DaveC426913 said:
Which as a rationale for some to have children. A form of immortality.

"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work... I want to achieve it through not dying."
Woody Allen​

For myself... I know I have a finite duration; like pretty much everything else. This doesn't bother me. I know it doesn't bother me because about ten years ago I was given about six months to live -- a preliminary tentative diagnosis which turned out to be incorrect. I did not freak out at the time and I don't expect to freak out if I get a more reliable early indicator of time of death either. I enjoy living and want to keep doing it; but I can't really imagine it going on forever. I think that really would make things in the here and now pointless.

I really don't get the people who say that nothing matters if you are going to die eventually. I consider it to be just the reverse.

Cheers -- sylas
 
  • #37
binbots said:
Maybe we evolved sleep to prepare us better for death. DMT anyone?

I have done some research on DMT, and let me tell you this chemical is fascinating. I understand that when we die, our brain is flooded by DMT and also when we sleep the brain releases DMT. I read a theory that maybe DMT is a connection of different dimensions for example when we dream, we might be actually living in different dimensions and when we die, perhaps we go to another dimension/dream forever or until we die again.

I didnt mean to go off-topic or propose anything without much evidence, but when I read this theory I found it very interesting...
 
  • #38
Marco12 said:
I read a theory that maybe DMT is a connection of different dimensions for example when we dream, we might be actually living in different dimensions and when we die, perhaps we go to another dimension/dream forever or until we die again.

I didnt mean to go off-topic or propose anything without much evidence, but when I read this theory I found it very interesting...

I don't think we want to go in this direction. This is far too vague and speculative, even for the Philosophy forum.
 

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