[thedoc (OP)]

Rex asked the Naked Scientists:
   Does life after death exist and if yes is it forever? Please if you can give strong evidence. Thank you!
What do you think?

[PmbPhy]

Rex asked the Naked Scientists:
   Does life after death exist and if yes is it forever? Please if you can give strong evidence. Thank you!
What do you think?

It's well-known in philosophical circles that it's quite literally impossible to know whether there is life after death. If someone claims to "know" otherwise he's wrong. That kind of belief is rooted in ignorance.

[Bill S]

Hi Pete.  You could well be right when you say:

It's well-known in philosophical circles that it's quite literally impossible to know whether there is life after death. If someone claims to "know" otherwise he's wrong. That kind of belief is rooted in ignorance.

but let's break it down into the three individual statements:

1. It's well-known in philosophical circles that it's quite literally impossible to know whether there is life after death.

2. If someone claims to "know" otherwise he's wrong.

3. That kind of belief is rooted in ignorance.

If what you maintain is “well-known” in “philosophical circles” is correct; “2” must be wrong; you cannot know he is wrong.

In the same circumstances; you cannot know that “3” is correct, because if it's "impossible to know whether there is life after death", it's impossible to insist that there is not.

BTW, you'll probably have to be quick to beat Alan to a scathing response here.  []

[flr]

The question should be reformulated as:
"is any form of consciousness possible without a brain"

[RobC]

I for one do not believe there is life after death. But if it were so then I would expect it would be forever.

Life after death offered as the ultimate reward but would we really want it. I remember the phrase from “Old Man River” – tired of living, feared of dying.

Humans have evolved for millennia with a belief in an after life. Why this is so can only be speculated on.

[PmbPhy]

If what you maintain is “well-known” in “philosophical circles” is correct; “2” must be wrong; you cannot know he is wrong.

Why? You're not familiar with the concept that a logical argument can be wrong?

In the same circumstances; you cannot know that “3” is correct, because if it's "impossible to know whether there is life after death", it's impossible to insist that there is not.

You missed my point. I make no claim that there is or isn't life after death. What I said was is that it's not possible to "know" whether there is or isn't.

BTW, you'll probably have to be quick to beat Alan to a scathing response here.  []

My days of long drawn out debates are over. I'll say what I mean and when that's done then I'm done. From herein I'll never repeat myself and that's what most of these debates are, people repeating themselves in countless different ways. In fact I've said all that I want to here and will only answer a direct question put to me by the OP. However, since I consider you to be a friend I'll discuss this as much as you'd like in the NEP forum.

[Bill S]

Why? You're not familiar with the concept that a logical argument can be wrong?

That's a non-sequitur, but who really cares?  I agree that this topic has a certain depressing circularity about it.

Thanks for the offer to discuss it in NEP; When I do have time to return there, I'm sure I will have things to talk about that might lead somewhere other than a dead end.  No, the pun was not intentional.

[flr]

Still, what do we mean by life? What is life?
For example, if we define life as the biological processes taking place inside our bodies than clearly after death these processes end.

Then I guess a more focused question is if our consciousness continues in some form in the absence of biological processes making up our bodies. Why should I believe that if a deep sleep or a general anesthesia can extinguish it?

 

[flr]

discuss [...] in the NEP forum.

What is NEP forum? A link? What "NEP" abbreviate?

[Europan Ocean]

For there to be life after death, we need to consider whether or not the spark of life is merely cells in motion or something else, breath.

Can we create a living cell? Can we revive a dead bacteria cell?

Is life in the blood revivable, so Drs can begin by reviving a white blood cell and then go on to revive a whole corpse, including the brains. What do they report? If one can just get it moving again, life seems to be mere motion.

Is life made of more than matter? Is there something we don't yet know? Something in the depths of the concept of life and breath. If you think life came about by chance, then even if that one thinks life exists after death, probably he or she will think life breaks up after some time.