what do you think happens when we die?

[vj288]

it takes awhile for a body to decompose

the soft parts quicker than the hard parts - skeletons may lay around for hundreds of years

there have been mummified remains of prehistoric humans unearthed from peat bogs and glaciers that are so well preserved that their fingerprints are still visible

so we don't just suddenly disappear when we die....

or is the thing that makes us "we," the thing that makes us who we are - is that something distinct from our physical body? something which exists separately?

can we measure this something? can we mount it, stuff it, pin it to a board, or put it in a jar?

no. but we know it's there.

if it can exist as something separate and distinct from our physical bodies, can it continue to exist somewhere else, after our bodies cease to function?

or does it only exist as a random byproduct of biochemical processes?

we have created supercomputers that rival the complexities of the human brain, but none of them have yet to become self aware. perhaps it's not as simple as that.

perhaps that thing we know as ourselves came from somewhere and goes somewhere else different than where we are now - somewhere we are unable to observe while we're here.

like the spherical entity entering and leaving Flatland - while in Flatland it only knows itself as a circle, as do all the other Flat inhabitants - we are only able to experience this world as part of this world while we're here.

but when we leave, maybe we go somewhere else that everyone who stays behind has no ability to fathom,

until they leave as well.

^I want to change my answer to that. Especially the part about flatland. Good post :thumbup:

 

[BlackPuma]

I dunno about everyone else, but I'm just waiting for the day when we can upload ourselves to the internet and live forever. Think of all that time saved, no need to type...just think your way through the internet.

I wouldn't be surprised if in the future we'd actually upload into some sort of digital society/hive mind. The idea is appealing to me, because I'd have to spend less time explaining myself to people.. I could just share my Thoughts.exe and be done with it.

 

[Flanscho]

I dunno about everyone else, but I'm just waiting for the day when we can upload ourselves to the internet and live forever. Think of all that time saved, no need to type...just think your way through the internet.

Well, in case of doubt, you can always freeze yourself, and hope that future generations have the technology to revive you. The chance for that are better than as if you'd just decompose.

or is the thing that makes us "we," the thing that makes us who we are - is that something distinct from our physical body? something which exists separately?

can we measure this something? can we mount it, stuff it, pin it to a board, or put it in a jar?

no. but we know it's there.

Of course we can measure this 'something'. It's the biochemical activity in our brain.

 

[coyote]

Of course we can measure this 'something'. It's the biochemical activity in our brain.

the dial on our radio tells us that there are electrical signals passing through, and we can even measure the sound waves being produced

but that doesn't really give us a good picture of the emotions we experience when we hear the music

you can measure my brain acitivity, but that doesn't really tell you who "I" am.

 

[Flanscho]

you can measure my brain acitivity, but that doesn't really tell you who "I" am.

You are the result of all experiences you made and how your brain processed them.

 

[SilentBird]

What was I doing before I was born?