What happens to human consciousness after death?

[TheGoodGuy]

I like Alan watts take on this. He says something along the lines of "you can't have an experience of nothing."

This video at 1:10
Everyone on this site should watch this it is so comforting and will blow your mind.

 

[Roberto]

I hope it's eternal nothingness, but I'm scared it's something else

I'm also scared of death.
But life has no meaning, anything ... the life, ourselves in the universe that is going to freeze.
We are machines that think that we are living forms. what is a living form. Is earth a living form? Why we think? ok, to stay alive.We are a complex chemical being.
Logically, it shouldn't exist anything. This is a madness.

 

[Meretlein]

I would lean towards there just being nothing after death, it would feel like going under anesthesia. I remember when I was laying on the surgery table and it just went to nothing. I couldn't even see black until the moment my consciousness returned and I saw the lids of my eyes.

 

[Welcumtotherealworld]

I think the universe is indifferent, neither hostile nor benovelent. If not, why are most people "happy"? I think it all comes down to dumb luck. If you're unlucky enough to be among the minority to contract a terrible mental or physical illness or some other tragedy in your life, them you're doomed to suffer.

I think that it's absolutely hostile, but that it gives a teeny tiny bit of joy to some test rats make the rest of the rats think that they can escape their torture of existence as well.

 

[21Neberg]

My mom died when I was in college. I was her caretaker. Many years later, I still see/hear/feel the horror. It eviscerated my life. Nothing makes up for it. Worse, the hell of seeing the extended death in great detail terrifies me about my own death/suicide. I'm preoccupied with going instantly so there's no time for any emotional or physical pain.

Sorry in addition to everything else you have to deal with a fear of hell. I don't know what the solutions are. :/

I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you can give the pain a 'place' one day, you really deserve better.

 

[FTL.Wanderer]

I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope you can give the pain a 'place' one day, you really deserve better.

Very kind of you. Thanks.

 

[iiii5555]

Nothing, for you're nothing as you are right now, so why would that change?

 

[Volomori83]

What I believe is that "nothingness" is something that actually doesn't exist in the universe. Experience ends upon death, your super-ego, the thing that makes you you, dies. You as a conscious thinking entity dies, but the twist is that your energy — because everything, from the smallest atom to the vast electrical impulses in your brain, is energy, and energy never dies — returns to its purest form. In that sense, I do believe that a part of us does actually transcend death, but that is not something we experience.

We were born from the universe and that's exactly where we return too.

 

[Moms_Spaghetti]

Even if there is an afterlife whatever part of you makes it there won't be anything like the "you" that you think you are. Think about all the external things that go into shaping your personality and thoughts, then think about all ths biological ones like genes and such. The person you think you are was completely created from a mixture of your genetic make up and external influences, not some kind of spirit self. Whatever passes on after death is probably just some kind of life energy with no personality ego or humanly thoughts. Think about how easy it is to change a person's personality through manipulation of certain areas of he brain. Look at how things like drugs poisons brain tumors ect change people. Some people can even be become cold blooded killers from a brain tumor pushing on a part of their brain. This just shows that who you think you are is entirely dependant on your physical brain not any otherworldly force. If you exist in any form after you die it would just be a ball of energy that has none of your thoughts memories or personality that makes you "you".

 

[throwaway123]

Everyone here is arguing but there've been millions of people before us that asked that question and none of them got an answer. It's pointless to think about it. Futile to argue about it.

 

[Jean Améry]

Everyone here is arguing but there've been millions of people before us that asked that question and none of them got an answer. It's pointless to think about it. Futile to argue about it.

In so far as it might make one accept death I wouldnt call it futile. In absence of evidence for an afterlife I believe existence ends with death. I'm perfectly fine with that prospect. Does that mean I'm certain it will be that? Obviously not, we'll see.

In light of the human condition and the fact that we are aware of death arguments about this topic are inevitable. I do agree it's impossible to really know for sure since we don't have any way to find out except by dying. Arthur Schopenhauer wrote this fine remark:

"Suicide may also be regarded as an experiment — a question which man puts to Nature, trying to force her to an answer. The question is this: What change will death produce in a man's existence and in his insight into the nature of things? It is a clumsy experiment to make; for it involves the destruction of the very consciousness which puts the question and awaits the answer."

 

[anuglymale]

I've thought about it. Either nothingness, or something else. Consciousness is just a physical process which occurs in our brains. Maybe somewhere in the universe atoms have combined in such a ways that the same process happens between them.

 

[venom.52]

Great question. Abrahamic relegions tell you that you go to Heaven/hell based on your deeds and loyalty to the "creator",but it has to be the one and only true one although it's unclear which one of the lot it is exactly! Eastern religions offer a little more open perspective and say you will reincarnate once again as a baby and fuck everything you've learnt in previous lives! The new age NDE'rs paint a rosy picture that you're an eternal soul made of pure white light full of unconditional love and will transcend death like Superman. Atheists will say there's no difference between you and a mosquito and both will perish, implying just because you're human does not mean your life is more valuable than that of a mosquito. And also , that it's silly that a man high above in the clouds will closely judge every single person's actions on the planet to give a one-way ticket to paradise. And then, there's me a Nihilist who thinks what the fuck am I doing here with all these wierdos?

 

[Hotsackage]

No one knows. As allan watts stated both atheistic and religious beliefs are flawed. I think consciousness is something far more mysterious for us to understand or have the capacity to. I don't think my personal consciousness continues after my brain but I think the universe is more captivating and mysterious for us to have an opinion on this. Reincarnation is the most viable option for a continuation of existence.

 

[jules18]

I believe the afterlife comes. The flesh dies but spirit/consciousness is immortal and immutable. I believe that your body will be reconstructed in the afterlife to its pristine form.

 

[Kikoo Loool]

What about people who lose their brain, like alzheimer?

 

[Ch92921]

What about people who lose their brain, like alzheimer?

their personality change drastically. they even forget who they are. For me a proof that soul is illusion and so there isn't anything after death.Because the brain has changed.
i cant identify myself with my 7 years old me.

 

[EddieAllenPoe]

I've been obsessed, more so lately since I've thought about suicide, about what happens after death.
I truly think that nobody can really know what happens after death but I lean more towards the belief that "I" will continue to be conscious.

I think this because...

A)
1) I don't remember anything before I was born.
2) It seems evident there was a past before I was born.
B)
1) I won't be conscious after I die.
2) It seems evident that the universe I live in continues to exist after other's have died.
C) If "I" can suddenly become conscious of the universe after a seemingly long past, then "I" will probably become conscious again in the future.

Maybe it's possible that I'm looking at time wrong? Maybe time is an illusion? You can go mad trying to find an anwer to stuff like this. I'm convinced nobody really knows.

Obviously, I don't really know either. I think the hardest part is figuring out how much of an illusion "I" really am. Afterall, "I" am not the same person today as "I" was as a child. So who the hell am I and why is the illusion of having a self called "I" so convincing?

I grew up in the Christian religion and find comfort in actually realizing that church history and scriptures are full of logical contradictions. Seeing through the bulllshit makes me feel less afraid of the "angry judgemental" God who condemns people to eternal hell. I don't think you can find evidence of this even in the bible.

What's strange is that if you research suicide in the bible there isn't any condemnation for it. In fact, there are examples of suicide in the bible.

Do I believe in God then? I choose to believe there is a loving parental "God". Why do I believe this? I didn't create myself. I think there is probably a lot I just don't understand. EDIT: I'll add to this, I also don't think all Near Death Experience stories are fake. I think it's possible people really have experienced consciousness independent of the brain. I only tend to believe this because I have a memory of breathing underwater as a child and staring at a light when, in fact, I was drowning and being resuscitated. If that was a brain trick, it's a very clever fluke of brain evolution. It makes me believe other's are telling the truth in regards to what they experienced during death.

TL;DR: Life is a mystery. There's a lot I just don't know.

 

[GeorgeJL]

You might reincarnate. Near death experiencers have said for a long time that reincarnation is real too. As well as many meditational religions, and avid astral projectors. Oh and even Jesus and an angel in the bible also said John the baptist use to be Elijah the prophet.

Expert investigates 10-year-old's reincarnation claims
[URL="http://www.today.com/video/today/57120459[/URL]"]www.today.com/video/today/57120459[/URL]

 

[EddieAllenPoe]

You might reincarnate. Near death experiencers have said for a long time that reincarnation is real too. As well as many meditational religions, and avid astral projectors. Oh and even Jesus and an angel in the bible also said John the baptist use to be Elijah the prophet.

Expert investigates 10-year-old's reincarnation claims
[URL="http://www.today.com/video/today/57120459[/URL]"]www.today.com/video/today/57120459[/URL]

I somehow JUST noticed the link you included about the 10-year old claiming they had been reincarnated. I'll have to watch that. That's kind of funny because I was just thinking about another kid who claimed to have memories of a past life as a World War 2 pilot. Turns out it's a completely different story.

James Leininger (ABC primetime) ->

I'm way too skeptical to just say I believe in stuff like reincarnation, but I definitely have to admit it's possible. It does seem strange to say the world has been around for billions of years and ALL OF A SUDDEN we just happen to be alive.

I couldn't tell you though what it would mean if we did live before. Living through one life is hard enough.

 

[Roadkill]

some good responses here

 

[Broken]

Remember how you felt all those years before you were conceived? That's how you'll feel when you die.

I really like this view. Makes sense that it will be like the nothingness from before birth

 

[Jodes]

Why would the experimenters waste resources on giving us consciousness after death? They didn't care about us enough to not use us as lab rats for their torture experiment. The experimenters are evil and they're out to harm us in every way they can

Fucking love it

 

[Roberto]

I somehow JUST noticed the link you included about the 10-year old claiming they had been reincarnated. I'll have to watch that. That's kind of funny because I was just thinking about another kid who claimed to have memories of a past life as a World War 2 pilot. Turns out it's a completely different story.

James Leininger (ABC primetime) ->

I'm way too skeptical to just say I believe in stuff like reincarnation, but I definitely have to admit it's possible. It does seem strange to say the world has been around for billions of years and ALL OF A SUDDEN we just happen to be alive.

I couldn't tell you though what it would mean if we did live before. Living through one life is hard enough.

I had more than enough with one life. In my grave I'll put something like 'Piss off'.
I don't believe en reincarnation, because where was my soul before earth existed and where to go when the earth is lifeless when the sun dies?
It is so convincing the life of 'I', despite every second we are a different person. We want to live, but we die every second.
Nothing have sense ... it's a madness the universe and the physics. One big bang ... and before we don't know nothing.
Life could be like a roller coaster, with the beginning in the Big Bang. And the ride ends when the universe close the lights of stars.
Why to live? why we are aware of ourselves? Are we just chemical reactions with legs?

I believe the afterlife comes. The flesh dies but spirit/consciousness is immortal and immutable. I believe that your body will be reconstructed in the afterlife to its pristine form.

Which jobs are available in the afterlife? In the pristine form will we have sex? drugs? trees? alcohol? antidepressants? mortgage? houses? president? countries? food? will we get old? wars? It would be boring just to be, without the need of doing nothing eternally. Will we be able to ctb in the afterlife?

 

[ZixivaldYrxes]

My beliefs are centered around the notion that what we understand to be reality is a subset of a greater reality. This does not make existence or perception in general meaningful in the grand scheme of things, only from a limited scope. I speculate that the meaning of existence may actually be to distract from its own meaninglessness.

Our existence, according to my admittedly irrational belief system, can be likened to boarding a train with no windows that is flooded with amnesia-inducing gas. Once inside the train and amnesiafied, the subject will probably draw the simplest and most grandiose conclusions about the nature of the train and how they got there. The train would appear to be the entirety of reality. Is whoever built it the creator of everything? Did it spontaneously come to being and did you with it? Etc. This actually happens to children born in North Korean prisons (they have generational punishment) and they are bewildered upon discovering that a world outside exists at all (if they ever do).

From the subject's perspective, these are reasonable assumptions. But as an observer who exists outside the train system, they're absurd, and more mundane explanations are more plausible. It's more likely that you bought a ticket, or were abducted, or something along those lines, and that the causal chain is radically different between individuals. The kicker is that there is no way to know without knowledge of the system that the train system is encapsulated in, but the story of how we got here and where we're going is probably as convoluted and "normal" as it is within the system.

Like when entering the train, upon exiting it, each person is likely to end up in a different locale from anyone else, unless it's some kind of existential hijacking, and the reasons could be as absurd as anything else.

It's kind of new-age but I don't have a positive view of it. From our perspective, this condition may be near-eternal, but in the grand scheme of things it must be a blip, unless it's a perfect causal loop (which I doubt).

So the tl;dr of it is that I expect death to be too similar to living to be of any real comfort, and the common beliefs surrounding death are forged in unfortunate and inevitable ignorance.

 

[hegesias]

Mind can't exist without a body, so it ceases to exist.
The body belongs to the earth, so it comes back to the earth.
There is only body and mind.

 

[Sick Boy]

I know that after we die your body Will decompose,but it scares me the idea that,what if our mind is still consious in a eternal limbo

 

[Death_is_Escape]

I hope it's eternal nothingness, but I'm scared it's something else

Brad Steiger.