ever thought of this?

[usy]

<_< aussies are bad at jokes I see.

of corse I'll be wann be some owner of COca cola or something, duhh!

 

[Deleted member 13648]

Personally, I think it's just me in this life. Cos I only see through my eyes. It's hard to explain, but I just feel like the things I see are the only things that are happening. Like everyone I see/speak to only exist for me. It's weird and slightly bizzare to explain but I understand it.

 

[Jaztheman]

Solipsism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Like that, Stu?

 

[manee]

I don't buy into the afterlife one little bit. I don't see how it could really work. Lets run it down:

Our existence as human beings is completely governed by our senses and perceptions. Our 5 senses are

Touch - Our central nervous system.
Smell - Our nose.
Sound - Our ears.
Sight - Our eyes.
Taste - Our taste buds.

These are all physical things, and they all work because of the brain. The brain interprets the signals sent by our senses and that's what makes us react and generally live. When the brain is damaged, or stops working we have absolutely nothing.

I've used this argument before, and I got the response: "But when we die, our bodies die but our souls live on and go to the after life".

Fair enough. But if the soul is capable of being you in the afterlife then it would have to be capable of these things (our senses, perceptions) by itself. If it is capable of that by itself, then why is it that if you take someones eyes out, they can't see. If you rip someones tongue out, they can't taste. There is no backup for these things in the "soul".

So if a soul can't smell, or hear, or taste, or feel then how can your soul really be you? Another fact is that all our experiences, our relationships and more importantly our thought processes are stored in the brain. If someone has damage in the part of the brain that stores their memories, they loose their memories. I knew a girl in Australia who was hit by a car and she had serious brain damage in the lobe of the brain that stored her memories, and she lost them. Permanently.

So explain to me where I'm wrong here..

I'd love to buy into this after life stuff, but I can't see past the fact that believing in it involves ignoring the laws of the universe, which isn't something I like doing.



Exactly, because you didn't exist and when you die you wont feel anything either.

That's my take on it all.

I hate it because I know you're right. There is no logical fallacy and I have often come to a similar conclusion. I don't want it to be the truth, but it is.

Stu, try reading some Kant - his basis is that oneself is all that can be known 'nouminally' (properly) whereas everything outside is known phenomenally (through the senses).

 

[usy]

what do you think about my first post b? >_>

 

[manee]

what do you think about my first post b? >_>

Me?

Well, it is rubbish, isn't it. Just because there is no proof, does not mean you can make up fairytales. The proof lies in brain activity ceasing and there being no evidence for human activity beyond the body (ie. soul) and although that is not sufficient for a proper thesis, it does allow disproof of fairytales like heaven/hell.

Moreover, reincarnation as a concept makes no sense. If you lose your memory, have a different brain and a different body, you are not the same person!

People who say it is like pre-birth are right - there is, most likely, simple nothingness.

 

[usy]

Those were not my opinions, those were bunch of after life scenarios, which have nothing to do with my post as an "opinion", I asked you if you though it was acurate way of summing up popular beliefs.

JEsus.

 

[Deleted member 13648]

Stu, try reading some Kant - his basis is that oneself is all that can be known 'nouminally' (properly) whereas everything outside is known phenomenally (through the senses).

Solipsism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Like that, Stu?

Yep, that's it. Cheers boys. I'm guessing this is normal then? I'm not an anti-christ or anything...

 

[Cricketman]

Sure, there's all this brain stuff, it's all true. But it's all part of this one body. We don't NEED the body after death.

I believe there is a soul, that there will be a rebirth, you just won't remember your previous life. The universe has a funny way of working, all energy is constantly preserved (ignoring a few complex chemical reactions, of course ).

The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth will continue. You just won't know/remember anything that happened in 'your' previous lives.

Confusing to explain.

Hinduism has a similar belief. If you perform a certain amount of good deeds through your lives, you are liberated from the endless cycle of life and death. But that brings all the religion stuff into it, so feel free to ignore/delete to avoid heated flame wars.

 

[shravi]

I'll find out when I die... Simple as that.

 

[Gilly Fan]

Personally, I think it's just me in this life. Cos I only see through my eyes. It's hard to explain, but I just feel like the things I see are the only things that are happening. Like everyone I see/speak to only exist for me. It's weird and slightly bizzare to explain but I understand it.

Like the Trueman Show?

The Truman Show - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But yeah, I know what you mean. I've though that as well.

Gilly Fan added 2 Minutes and 11 Seconds later...

I hate it because I know you're right. There is no logical fallacy and I have often come to a similar conclusion. I don't want it to be the truth, but it is.

Stu, try reading some Kant - his basis is that oneself is all that can be known 'nouminally' (properly) whereas everything outside is known phenomenally (through the senses).

Well a lot of people say that religion is just something that can comfort people before they die. So that they think that there is something in the afterlife, when there probably isn't.

Gilly Fan added 2 Minutes and 20 Seconds later...

Sure, there's all this brain stuff, it's all true. But it's all part of this one body. We don't NEED the body after death.

I believe there is a soul, that there will be a rebirth, you just won't remember your previous life. The universe has a funny way of working, all energy is constantly preserved (ignoring a few complex chemical reactions, of course ).

The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth will continue. You just won't know/remember anything that happened in 'your' previous lives.

Confusing to explain.

Hinduism has a similar belief. If you perform a certain amount of good deeds through your lives, you are liberated from the endless cycle of life and death. But that brings all the religion stuff into it, so feel free to ignore/delete to avoid heated flame wars.

I know what you mean. I've sometimes thought whether or not I was someone before who I am now. It's pretty weird. That's why I don't get people who commit suicide. Would they prefer nothing over their lives?

 

[Sureshot]

You have no understanding of severe depression, then.

 

[manee]

Those were not my opinions, those were bunch of after life scenarios, which have nothing to do with my post as an "opinion", I asked you if you though it was acurate way of summing up popular beliefs.

JEsus.

I wasn't taking an aggressive post, merely dismissing the ideas you posited in the opening post.

 

[shravi]

I know what you mean. I've sometimes thought whether or not I was someone before who I am now. It's pretty weird. That's why I don't get people who commit suicide. Would they prefer nothing over their lives?

Yeah man. I agree with Sureshot. Just look at it in a mathematical sense if it helps you out on a scale from -10 to +10. Since you cannot understand why people get so depressed, let's put you at 5. When people die, you say that there is nothing. 0 is nothing so death = 0. Someone who is suffering from clinical depression is most probably at -7 where they would rather be dead than alive. There are worse things than 'nothing' if your 'something' isn't worth living for seeing as it is most probably recurring if it makes you that depressed.

 

[Sureshot]

My post did look a little aggressive, not knowing what depression is like is a good thing, can only be experienced through first hand experiences. There is no "choice"/"free will" when a person with suicidal depression (this isn't the right term, but severe depression doesn't mean suicidal thoughts and I can't think of the proper term) commits (or completes if you want to be medical/technical) suicide. It's as close to having your brain being taken over by a government as you'll get. No rational thought whatsoever.