The absurdity of life after death (based on Scientific evidence only)

[Darth Wong]

How many of the people who believe in an afterlife have given serious thought to it?

First, let us ask: what is life after death? Most people feel it is the perpetuation of the self after the moment the body dies.

But what is the self? Can you be yourself if your memories are erased? Imagine that your memories were completely wiped out, so that you were restored to your mental state as a newborn child. Could you say that you, as an individual, really survived this process? In some science fiction stories the complete erasure of memory is used as a de facto death sentence for criminals, because it accomplishes the same thing as execution: it wipes out the individual.

So would you consider it "life after death" if some part of you survived but everything that defines you as an individual was destroyed? If that's the definition of life after death, then the continuation of your organic material is life after death, and I don't think too many people would be happy with that.

So can we agree that life after death is meaningless if your memories are erased? If so, then life after death is a meaningless concept, because we know from medical science that your memories are inextricably attached to your wetware, ie- your brain. Damage to the brain has been proven to be capable of wiping out memories even before death.

So how can someone seriously, and with any knowledge of medicine at all, believe that he as an individual will somehow survive the death of his physical body?

[Last_Crusader]

It's an issue of faith more than logic, seeing as after death someone becomes a metaphysical object and so no more disprovable than provable to exist in some form. I think death means game over (insert coin), but until I find out I'll accept belief in an afterlife, so long as the believer openly admits it as a matter of faith or reveals empirical proof.

[bobmtran]

I have been mainly a lurker on this forum but why the upsurge and against religion and all things related to it all of the sudden as if it became cool to fight against religion nowaday. We all know that religion is a matter of faith not fact why keep on trying to move people away from their faith, just because a person have no faith in something that is higher then them does not make them somehow better then other which is the impression I am getting from this forum.

[Darth Wong]

I have been mainly a lurker on this forum but why the upsurge and against religion and all things related to it all of the sudden as if it became cool to fight against religion nowaday. We all know that religion is a matter of faith not fact why keep on trying to move people away from their faith, just because a person have no faith in something that is higher then them does not make them somehow better then other which is the impression I am getting from this forum.

It's interesting how you make no effort to answer any of the points I made. If they are logical and factually accurate, then what difference does it make whether they are anti-religion or not?

[Justinian]

Just try to sit down and imagine not existing.

That's why I believe in an afterlife.

[Darth Wong]

Just try to sit down and imagine not existing.

That's why I believe in an afterlife.

That's why you want to believe in an afterlife. I want to believe in it too, but that doesn't mean I'll throw away logic and pretend that it's anything but an absurd idea.

[Fenris]

Just try to sit down and imagine not existing.

That's why I believe in an afterlife.

Imagine the infinite... does it means it doesn't exist?

Try to imagine what an atom is like, does it means it doesn't exist?

Try to imagine a photon. Does it means it doesn't exist?

Try to imagine a black hole. Does it mean it doesn't exist?

Try to imagine time distortion, does it mean it doesn't exist?


But then... try to imagine life as non-physical entity. I mean no eyes to see, no ears to hear,... Your logic is completly flawed.

[Farnan]

If you just solve this math problem you will know that there is an afterlife: (√π * 2i * 4.578)/2√e (Just kidding, anyway that math problem is impossible.)

Anyone it is a matter of faith, not science.

[Darth Wong]

Anyone it is a matter of faith, not science.

It's worse than that, because the science says that it won't happen, at least not in the sense that Judeo-Christians want, where your individuality is preserved.

[glorfindel87]

It's worse than that, because the science says that it won't happen, at least not in the sense that Judeo-Christians want, where your individuality is preserved.

Logic is not the answer to everything. There is no logic in the concept of infinite, but it does exist in math. There is no logic to our individuality, but it certainly exists. There is no logic as to why we do some of the things we do, but we do them anyway.
As for the topic.
According to Judeo-Christian belief.
There is the spirit, mind, and body. The body and mind can die, the "spirit" lives on and could be "put" into another body and mind. Scientific proof? Please. I know there is none.
Before you go claiming such things, at least understand what the religion you are attacking believes, instead of going by what the TV shows and internet studies show.

[Forgotten]

The Marian Conspiracy...despite its title, presents pure historical fact of 'Mary' and the historical people and groups surrounding 'Mary the mother of jesus' as opposed to their story personas, does not attempt to make any radical claims and has totally referenced every single source from which book, author or scholar.

Ends with a simple statement of suggestion, acknowledges it is but one of many possibilities but was responsible for uncovering several physical locations of genuine previously unknown historical sites in Wales which the Royal Trust assisted for ground radar and excavation revealing the truth of summarised detective work based only on what the author puts forward from physical evidence recorded on documents that exist today and the notions of respected and disputed scholars that nevertheless made their claims for good cause.

[Aetius]

There are people who "die" and have come back to life. Ecspecially, in car crashes people's heart and brain shut off, and medics are able to shock them back into life. Allegedly, they say that they see themselves as third view rising away from their body but this could hust be a load of crap. Although, those people are the closest proof we have to life after death.

[PROFESSORPAUL]

There better be an afterlife or I'm gonna be seriously disappointed. Imagine doing everything you ever did in your life from your birth to death, with the troubles of growing up, maturing, getting a job, married, having fun, traveling, and all of that.... only to end up seeing blackness for the rest of eternity.

Just imagine that...... not existing and not being able to see anything, feel anything, or even think. You're... not there.

[Farnan]

Prove it scientifically that there is no life after death.

Actually that problem is an example why human knowledge cannot solve all the questions. The math problem has an answer, but no human can discover it. Since we can't even solve one question, how could we really know scientifically whether there is an afterlife.

[Darth Wong]

Prove it scientifically that there is no life after death.

I did, in the first post. It seems to me that you didn't bother reading it, or that you reject its clearly stated premise that the "self" involves perpetuation of your memories. Which is it?

If anyone can solve the math problem, then you can probably make a lot of money selling what Pi really equals.

That has absolutely nothing to do with my argument. There is no reasonable scientific doubt that your memories are attached to your brain.

[Justinian]

But your memories aren't assigned to your body, specifically, so if your body disappears you can still have your memories and still be you and your argument doesn't matter.

[Spiff]

If the raw matter of which you were comprised will always exist as far as i know, therefore you will always exist..

Id say a afterlife in the conventional sense that we may hope for is unlikely, but ceasing to exist doesnt seem possible to me in the physical sense.. what if it were somehow possible to rearange the atoms of a person to a state before death..?

[Farnan]

I did, in the first post. It seems to me that you didn't bother reading it, or that you reject its clearly stated premise that the "self" involves perpetuation of your memories. Which is it?

Yet, but you forgot the soul part. The soul is kind of like yourself and a backup brain in a way. When you die your soul retains your "self." This can't be prove scientifically, or disproved scientifically, because it is in the realm of metaphysics.

[bdh]

Yet, but you forgot the soul part. The soul is kind of like yourself and a backup brain in a way. When you die your soul retains your "self." This can't be prove scientifically, or disproved scientifically, because it is in the realm of metaphysics.

I did just prove that. Look at my post. Whether or not its a soul is up to debate.
People shouldn't rap up their ideas in a body as a something completely physical. Its theoretically possible to contain a person at any given point in time in a computer provided there is a perfect knowledge of how it is composed and assembled. If you were to do that. You would have person X at X time.

[Darth Wong]

I did just prove that. Look at my post. Whether or not its a soul is up to debate.
People shouldn't rap up their ideas in a body as a something completely physical. Its theoretically possible to contain a person at any given point in time in a computer provided there is a perfect knowledge of how it is composed and assembled. If you were to do that. You would have person X at X time.

But this person would not think, or exist in any sense that allows continuation of consciousness, until that body is assembled into physical form as per this data.

Oh for crying out loud. Memories are just as physical as data on a computer. They exist physically. You can store memories. You can actually point at where a memory is stored on someone's mind. Memories are just as physically composed as anything else.

So? Do you believe that a computer is operational as long as designs of it exist somewhere? Life is not just a description of the living being; it is the continuation of that living being.