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If science could prove that there's nothing to fear after death, would you be less afraid of death?
The biological fear of death is hard-wired. But there's also the "intellectual" fear of death, usually centered on the fear of "what might happen afterward." It's a fear that religion has capitalized on.
If science could prove that there's nothing to fear after death, would you be less afraid of death?
The biological fear of death is hard-wired. But there's also the "intellectual" fear of death, usually centered on the fear of "what might happen afterward." It's a fear that religion has capitalized on.
It's not just heavenly politics that often does it, earthly politics is fond of capitalizing on both fears as well. The instinctual body is partly aware that they are about the two most legitimate things that a replicating system should fear.
The fear is, there is nothing after death. Most people dread the nothingness.
They do? I fear the pain of death. Nothingness is fine. For me life is pretty crappy and really not worth living but I have this powerful urge to keep on living and struggling. Go figure! Yup, wanting to live is hard wired into us.
I do have a son who needs me and a great nephew too and that gives me a motivation to live. When I had two young boys, I was always aware of the need to stay alive for them, meaning to protect my life. This made me careful.
Now that there is suggestion of survival of the consciousness (no hard evidence), I do wonder about things but it doesn't really make any difference to me. Sure, if there is post death survival I will get to 'see' my son again. It would also mean that he is still around. That would be a relief because then is painful life would not have been for nothing (meaning that he would finally have found peace) which would relieve me of a great burden. But sadly, there is no scientific proof.
To prove there was life after death, science would have to prove that the consciousness can exist outside the body. To do that they have to get a volunteer to read a five digit number unknown to the scientists and in a position where the subject would have to leave their body to see it. And guess what? That has been done! But only once and it was not done scientifically in a controlled way so the result is invalid. Pity.
Science doesn't work on hope and faith. Only hard evidence and repeatability.
If science could prove that there's nothing to fear after death, would you be less afraid of death?
The biological fear of death is hard-wired. But there's also the "intellectual" fear of death, usually centered on the fear of "what might happen afterward." It's a fear that religion has capitalized on.
It would be fantastic if science could prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that no afterlife exists and when we die we cease t be, which I believe to be the case.
I think the historical impetus for the fabrication of religion has been substantially dulled and perhaps mostly eliminated over the last 350 years. What's left is:
Emotional investment - People are raised into a faith, raised to "fear God", raised to "love Jesus", raised to "praise Allah", and the indoctrination establishes an emotional investment in the tenets of the religion. Emotional investment trumps rational thinking by default, which is why the more emotionally invested someone is in the mythology the harder their journey from fantasy to reality. That's why so much priority has been placed specifically on the sacrosanct nature of the indoctrination of children - it lays the groundwork for adherence long before the person has the mental faculties to dismiss the fantasy based on rational thinking.
Commerce of power - Societies that have a majority religion in power, even those like ours that espouse the principle of religious freedom, paradoxically foster rational behaviors by which people subvert their own rational thinking that would otherwise overcome the emotional investment in religion, on the basis that it would also undercut one's standing in society, and therefore adversely affect one's ability to thrive.
Don't get me wrong: The fact that the species, as a group, is more enlightened now as compared to 350 years ago works directly against these two aspects, helping rational people to more readily overcome emotional investment and finesse the problems with regard to the commerce of power.
If science could prove that there's nothing to fear after death, would you be less afraid of death?
The biological fear of death is hard-wired. But there's also the "intellectual" fear of death, usually centered on the fear of "what might happen afterward." It's a fear that religion has capitalized on.
I don't fear death. But my instincts do. My instincts do a lot of things I don't agree with. I do of course not view with enthusiasm painful or unpleasant death, either instinctively or intellectually.
Nothingness I am pretty cool with. In fact, after consideration, I think I'd prefer that over eternal life ..after some rejected negotiations about just a couple of centuries more or another life, with the brain I have now - not just making all the same bloody mistakes all over again.
If science could prove that there's nothing to fear after death, would you be less afraid of death?
The biological fear of death is hard-wired. But there's also the "intellectual" fear of death, usually centered on the fear of "what might happen afterward." It's a fear that religion has capitalized on.
I have to say, used properly there is no reason not to release a persons anxiety with religion, in fact it is a great way to help solve many of the day to day tribulations. "science" can't prove there is no fear. science can't do anything. But scientists need to address accountability and fear. I mean even if they address it through "killing a meme" by not being the meme". but it takes awhile for the low concentration of those protiens, or reactions, to be adjusted back into the dna code.
I feel the morals of helping others because we are all we got is ok. But I understand it won't work for us all. I don't fear death. I fear the way I am going to die. Like, Bleeding out with my body ripped to shreds for a couple of days seems like bummer.
Religion abuse is like drug abuse, police abuse, parent abuse. Look for the underling reasons that link the events. "religion abuse" is a result of that, not the cause. But hey, why would anybody let a fact get in the way of revenge.
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