I am an agnostic atheist. I believe we are all made of matter, like a tree or a rock. But we have consciousness while we are alive and we can grow. Why? I don't know.

But after we die, we become lifeless matter(like sand) again. The matter that is in us will be in the Universe forever but I don't think it'll ever gain consciousness again. (Thinking about this part right now gives me goosebumps and makes me wanna make this time count so bad!)

Go ahead and tell us what you think happens after we die.

This is not a belief. It is a fact.

I don't know what happens when people die, but I suspect it will be indistinguishable from what it was like before I was born.

But not many people look at it like that. Anyway, what do you think happens?

Ninjaedited above:

I don't know what happens when people die, but I suspect it will be indistinguishable from what it was like before I was born.

I pretty much agree with you. I'm an agnostic theist, but I don't see any reason to think that part of us survives death.

From what I've learned from our Christian friends on this board, when I die I will cease to exist until the end times. During the end times, I'll be briefly revived from my dead state, only to be judged as being unworthy of immortality. I will then be tossed into a lake of fire.

Something to look forward to, I guess!

And to make matters worse, the Christians will all say "I told you so" and the Muslims will be dicking virgins.

Probably nothing. Although honestly, I have better things to worry about. There is so much to experience during life, and worrying about death seems very counterproductive. I did enough of that when I was 18.

The same things that happened before you were born...except much much worse. At least the time before your life ended with your creation, the time after has no hope for you regaining consciousness at least one that will recognize your past life.

But that doesn't mean your "matter" won't become part of other living beings. But that is hardly good news to me. The tragedy of intelligent life is knowing that it ends.

What I think on the issue is that I am not this body, this brain, these thoughts, etc… I am that which is aware of this body, this brain, these thoughts, etc… So, basically, before this body was born: I am. After this body dies: I am.

We're no different from the other organisms on this planet, just more evolved with a higher level of consciousness (right?).

Whatever happens after death to a turtle happens to us. I think if something does occur after death it'll be beyond what the human mind can comprehend...in the 10th dimension or something.

So God sent his son Jesus down to preach everlasting life, but you don't think we survive death. Care to defend that one?

No, not really. Theism doesn't equal Christianity.

Fwiw though, I do find the bible useful. I just take the view that none of it is literal.

Why is the bible useful? Make a new thread about this if you want.

I had a thought the other day like this. If the universe, time, space, and energy are infinite, then the possibilities are infinite soooo I will come back to existence with the exact memories substance etc., as i died, but will live longer. This will happen an infinite amount of times; and as such I will live forever.

KABLONGERS

You cannot fit a two dimensional infinity into a one dimensional infinity, or an infinitely dimensioned one into a four dimensional one.

So your idea is void.

mathematicians everywhere disagree.

so your post is void.

Let's do a little thought experiment.

Consider Universe #1. Imagine this universe if infinite, with infinitely many possible states. Now take a snapshot that universe at a particular time. We now have an infinite three dimensional universe, frozen in time.

Consider Universe #2. Imagine this universe is infinite, with infinitely many states. Now allow this universe an extra dimension, one of time, which is also infinite.

What you're telling me is that universe #1, a universe taken at a particular snapshot in time, contains all the states of universe #2, a universe that changes over its entire infinite size for eternity.

That sir, seems to me to be an absurdity.

An infinite plane cannot be contained in a infinite line.
An infinite cube cannot be contained in an infinite plane.
An infinitely changing universe cannot be contained in an infinite static one.

bunny, I didn't know this about you. Do I understand correctly that you don't believe in life after death?

That's right.

As far as I remember, you also thought of consciousness as something immaterial. If that's the case, what do you think happens to your consciousness after you die? And since you also believe in free will (right?), that means that consciousness is also causing things in the universe. In that case, how do you reconcile it's death with the principle of conservation of energy?

I think it ceases - although I am a dualist, I think there are physical requirements for consciousness as well (minds dont exist without brains).
I don't see any contradiction - a non-physical thing isn't energy, so if it ceases (or is created) there's no violation of conservation of energy.

So, hypothetically, if neuroscience (and possibly other sciences) advances enough, so that it is possible to organize matter in the exact same way as a living brain (with a body)*, would we have also created immaterial consciousness?

*Let's, for now, not argue on how this could happen, unless you think it's in principle impossible to do that.

I don't know. I suspect consciousness would arise - whether that counts as us creating it, I'm not sure.

I also think it will be the same as before I was alive. Except this time the matter that is my body will be floating around in the universe, which is sort of cool to think about.