Fellow Atheists: Since we will be unconscious when dead, we will never think we are dead. Your thoughts?

Question

From my perspective I will always think I'm alive as long as I can think. From your perspective I will die, but I will think I'm immortal. The question is will I have a conscious experience of the far future? If a many-worlds conception of quantum theory is true I think I might. In a universe where time is an illusion I think I might.

I'm not immortal. I will die, but I will FEEL immortal since I will be unconscious when dead.

Pilt Down McMahon:
If you would read up on those quantum theory books, you MIGHT find that time is a bit more than an illusion.
-- Read Julian Barbour and get back to me.

But, then, you may be called upon to THINK, and I am not sure you can handle that sort of work load.
-- You're probably right. Check my previous posts to make sure.

You said in the beginning of your question, "we will be unconscious when we are dead..." Therefore you will not think you are immortal.
-- I will always think I'm alive. To me that's immortal.

You will not be thinking. You will be unconscious, because your BRAIN WILL BE DECOMPOSING.
-- NO SHIITE! That's what I'm saying. Did you even read what I said.

Bud: Did you even read my question? I specifically said I won't be able to think when unconscious but you are asking me why I think I will. Hello!

Answer 1

Parts of this sound very non-sequitur. Yes - by definition no-one can truthfully say (or think) 'I am dead' as a statement of fact, but that doesn't lead to anything.

When you die, you stop thinking for good, because the machinery that does the thinking will be damaged, out of fuel or vaporised. How, then, could you experience or think you're immortal? How could you experience 'the far future' (and why then, of all times?).

Your appeal to the Many Worlds hypothesis is clutching at straws, frankly. Even if the most facile popular interpretation is true, and there really is a parallel version of you in 'another dimension', by what magic would your dead self in this universe have any experience of that other self? Nothing passes between these dimensions - except, just possibly, tiny quantum effects below De Broglie's Limit - and there's no sane reason to believe that thinking, which is just a biochemical process, should have some magical dimension-crossing characteristics.

I really don't want to pop your bubble here, but the stuff you're talking about is just wish-fulfillment fantasy. It's cute, but has no basis in reality. You joined the Atheist Club to get away from this kind of magical thinking, surely? You have to face up to death being an end.

CD

Answer 2

If you would read up on those quantum theory books, you MIGHT find that time is a bit more than an illusion. But, then, you may be called upon to THINK, and I am not sure you can handle that sort of work load. You said in the beginning of your question, "we will be unconscious when we are dead..." Therefore you will not think you are immortal. You will not be thinking. You will be unconscious, because your BRAIN WILL BE DECOMPOSING. Go get a life before it expires.

Answer 3

"Unconscious" is somewhat of an understatement. In all likelihood, you won't have any experiences, unconscious or otherwise, because there won't *be* any "you" to experience anything. If this feels hard to grasp, it's probably because your mind has no baseline for such an experience--after all, it's logically impossible to experience nonexistence. (Per Mark Twain's remark, do you recall what it was like before you were born?)

> I will always think I'm alive. To me that's immortal.

That's not quite true. You'll think you're alive *only* while you're alive. In my book, 70 or 80 years of thinking i'm alive falls far short of an eternity of thinking i'm alive. Your initial question, that we'll never think we are dead, seems most likely. But not experiencing death is not the same as experiencing immortality.

Answer 4

I don't think any of us get to experience being dead, we might have some inkling we are on the way out but I figure the will to survive being as strong as it is... as a last thought we'll probably be thinking we'll pull through again just before we finally croak.

Answer 5

How will you be able to think if you are unconcious? My guess is that your way of thinking is as consistenly illogical as this question; assuming this is a question and not just a soapbox to get your fantasies out. Have you vented enough yet?

Response: MeatBot... did you even read your question before writting your response? You wrote, "but I WILL THINK I'm immortal" which suggests that you are referring to after you die. I asked 'How will you be able to THINK if you are unconcious." How can we have an intelligent exchange if you can't even remember what you wrote even though it is right in front of your eyes. It is no wonder that you are an atheist.

Answer 6

Once the light is put out (no more electrical impulses in your brain) there will not be thought processes. But what if you are reincarnated? Will you be able to recall the past? Is this what deja vu is?

"I think therefore I am" after that, it's anyone's guess.

Answer 7

What will you do in a world without all that caffeine?

I think your argument is invalid. An atheist doesn't believe in an afterlife, which sounds like what you're proposing. How will you have a counscious experience of the future if you're not alive then?

Answer 8

There's a huge leap between "from my perspective I will always think I'm alive" and "I will think I'm immortal". I get that you'll always think you're alive, because you wouldn't be able to think if you weren't alive. But 'always thinking you're alive' is different to 'thinking you'll always be alive'.

Answer 9

Unless of course all who reject the free gift of Jesus Christ simply cease to exist.

Revelation 21:8
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

And if the first death leaves us without knowing anything, then the second death is going to be pretty final.

Ecclesiastes 9:5
For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.

Seems pretty final to me.
Guy
http://inhisgracecards.com

Answer 10

Indeed, most likely death will just be a lack of consciousness that obviously you will not be aware of. One could make a case for a person's "energy" taking a few minutes to dissipate, but that's it, in my opinion.