Do you believe in an Afterlife?, or THE TRUTH DEBATE.

[TheHonorableRyu]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

Even when one feels nearest to other people, something in one seems obstinately to belong to God, and to refuse to enter into any earthly communion--at least, that is how I should express it if I thought there was a God. It is odd, isn't it? I care passionately for this world and many things and people in it, and yet...what is it all for? There must be something more important, one feels, though I don't believe there is.

-Bertrand Russell to Lady Otto, Autobiography of Bertrand Russell

[Tex Ritter]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

...what?

it's not that confusing bro

[Sampson]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

Just because Russell aknowledged the fact that he felt that there was meaning in the world even though he could not logically come up with said meaning does not provide any evidence for the cause. A hypochondriac may believe that they are sick, though they aren't. A person's inate feelings cannot be used to answer this question.

As much as I like that argument, we don't even know for certain if the human brain is lacking the faculties required to understand this concept. It may just be lacking an algorithm that would be needed to understand these concepts, and not a physical component.

Okay, I'll buy. You can never rule anything out. It might even be possible in the future to scientificly disprove god. But at this point in time, as it pertains to us, we lack the tools (or they do not exist) to answer this question.

[Ryner]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

it's not that confusing bro

The fact that you're afraid of the nonexistence of before birth is confusing, because it doesn't make any sense. You make that lady who's deathly afraid of balloons seem tough.

[Dusk Raven]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

Dang, I don't even remember this thread, much less making it.

[Big Rick Cook]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

Then why'd you bring it back?

[The Toecutter]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

Because I was browsing through it and he saw it after clicking "Currently Active Users" and saw me browsing the topic. He then clicked the link to it.

[Dusk Raven]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

Damn, you're good.

Then why'd you bring it back?

I dunno. I never posted in it, aside from today and when I started it, so I figure I'll so that.

[Karr Lord of Chaos]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

As much as I like that argument, we don't even know for certain if the human brain is lacking the faculties required to understand this concept. It may just be lacking an algorithm that would be needed to understand these concepts, and not a physical component.

There was a time when humans had not discovered logic, after all. I'm considering the possibility that there is some mode of thought that we still need to develop, whatever it may be. If you've read any of the works by Ray Kurzweil, the possibility of a machine developing this concept for us might be floating around in your head.

an interesting point and one that maybe vital to the issue. i also think that the human mind is either unable, or unable as of right now, to comprehend or rationalize an existence outside of what our brain creates. all the information we have is for a tangible world, and all the processes our brain does is designed within that confine. theory and conjecture can put us outside of that realm but our brain still doesnt have the means to understand it, to pin it down as a rational experience.

its like we live inside of a house and never know the outside world. we could speculate that theres an outside world, we could use our imagination to intelligently extrapolate what we know to takes a guess of whats out there but until we enter that realm ourselves (by going outside or by death according to the theory) then we really do not know. who is to say that the brain will even be relevant in that state? its so outside our possibility of experience that nothing about it exists within our mind frame.

yet we are teased about it. near death experiences, possible ghost sightings, rational theory - all of this tells us that there is something we are missing, or leads us to believe there is more then what our brains are perceiving.

i personally believe there is something more out there. i believe in ghosts, i like to believe in a state after death, and i know rationally there has to be something to explain what we do not know yet feel. i also know that it probably wont be solved in my life time so sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and just believe even though we cannot know for certain. most religions are founded on that principle, to believe even though we have no proof.

i suppose alot of its peace of mind to believe in an afterlife, to put an answer to the unknown of death. oblivion is a scary concept, and our lives really are so short.

ultimately it doesnt really mater what others think on the issue. its a concept that you, yourself, will have to wrestle with and decide what your take on it is. whatever you decide to chose, know that life is about living, and death is just the final act of the play, the real reward is what you do with the time you have. to live life you must not fear death, respect it, know it, and move to embrace the essence of what life is.

[Alex]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

I'm going to kill myself. brb

[Red Dragon]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

I'm going to kill myself. brb

Tell us what happens afterwards please.

[Crimson Knight]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

Yes, I believe in an afterlife.

There are many concepts we don't understand, yet exist in some form to us all.

The meaning of life... why must there be a meaning? Why can't one just live life like it's the best thing since sliced bread? The ability to do so is there, yet people don't take advantage of it.

Our logical capabilities are fine, yet we lack the proper knowledge to advance. I believe it's because of our lack of using our intuition properly with our logic. Maybe we're evolving... but then, if we were so undeveloped back then, how did we survive with such a large population until now with so much knowledge? Maybe we were advanced back then, but somehow "forgot" or dulled our senses, due to everything that has happened - advances in technology, not properly expressing our feelings, inaccurately treating illnesses, the spread of misinformation...

[Dusk Raven]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

...civilization....

[lil_das]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

The topic of metaphysics is something that cannot be explained. Simply put it is more taboo and not so much along the lines of findable. Many philosophers and scientists try to put their fingers on these things but will they ever? Is there any point to be reached that is a commonsense peak?

Socrates, Plato, and many others asked a fundamental question... What is truth and how do we obtain it?

Then after YEARS of wasted efforts the fundamental question was upped. Nietzsche asked, "Why do we search for truth?"
This simple question again moved things forward. How do we know there isn't an even deeper and more motivational question to ask? How can one believe what one is told?

Every human being is living in a falsified world. We live in homes built for us. We eat food provided for us. We grow to become what others were before us. We believe a sense of science that has been provided by other human beings. Everything we see/hear/feel/taste/smell could easily be a dillusion.
Hell even thoughts like this being a dream come into play. Anyone ever see The Matrix? Maybe this is truth...

[Seraph]

Re: Do you believe in an Afterlife?

Do I believe in an after life? I believe it is a possibility. I believe in the possibility of non existence as well.

I am not quite sure what I believe or want to believe. One possibility I believe is that when we die, what we are left with is our memories of the life we lived.

This could give rise to the concept of heaven and hell. If we lived a good life and were happy with the choices we made, then we would spend the rest of eternity in "heaven", reliving all the good times we had, love, friendship etc. Likewise, "hell", would be an eternity spent in misery regret and bitterness over the mistakes we feel we made in life.

Another possibility is that our "death" is just a form of rebirth as we pass into another state of our "lives". When we leave the womb, we are considered to be born. Maybe this life is just another womb in which we dwell, waiting to leave and enter into a new existence. Only to do it yet again, until we achieve perfection. It's possible we have already done this over and over again before reaching this point in "life".

Also, how do we know we are even alive to begin with?