 |
| Life After Death: Can We Live Forever in Some Form? |
An English saying that 'There are only two things certain in life: death and taxes.'
The concept of death has always been of interest to humanity and one of the reasons for this is the idea of a new life (life after death) after the end of life.
Almost all religions have beliefs about the afterlife that picture an afterlife where the human soul will live forever. This concept has evolved in various forms throughout human history.
But why does the end of natural life feel so unnatural? What is the science of the journey from birth to old age and does modern technology give us any hope of preserving a part of ourselves forever?
Through this writing, Max Tobin has tried to find the answer to the question of life after death.
Be it the pyramids of ancient Egypt or the mysterious images of the Christian era that prophesied the end of the world, the concept of life after death has always been present in the world.
According to a recent study, about one-third of people in modern secular civilization believe in the concept of life after death, even those who deny the existence of God.
Some believe that this concept is a result of human evolution.
One such popular idea is the 'terror management theory'. According to this theory, humans do not want to die like other animals. However, there came a time during human evolution when the human brain increased in size and complexity, resulting in the awakening of consciousness.
However, one of the disadvantages of this development was that man became familiar with the concept of death and for the first time, the crisis of existence arose because on the one hand man did not want to die but on the other hand he was aware of the fact that he could escape from death. Not even possible.
At that time, there was no such knowledge or philosophy that could free man from this difficult situation, so under the terror management theory, it is believed that our ancestors invented the concept of life after death to save their lives. Can calm the mind.
According to the research of Professor Jess Baring, this concept is the result of 'dualism'. In 2005, Professor Jace's team conducted an experiment in which a group of children was shown a thin film of a crocodile eating a mouse.
After this depiction of brutality, the children were asked what happened? Professor Jace observed that the children said that the rat was dead but that some of its faculties, such as knowledge and emotions, were alive, but that conditions such as hunger and pain were not.
Interestingly, the youngest members of the children's group were more likely to believe that the rat must have had some kind of psychological experience after death, even though religious and cultural knowledge is less common at this age.
It can also be concluded from this research that perhaps the concept of life after death has not been taught to us by anyone but it is a part of human psychology.
But what should people do for whom this concept is not enough, but they want to know something else?
New developments in the field of artificial intelligence have drawn scientists' attention to a new model of eternity.
'Mind Uploading' is one such proposed technology that will allow the human brain to be transferred to the digital cloud. That is the existence of a finite life that will be virtual.
Dr. Michael Schremer says that one claim in science is that there is a form of human that survives in the form of information, such as the genome of human memory and thoughts, called the 'connectome'.
Dr. Michael says that under the mind uploading theory, this part of the brain can be scanned by a scanner, and 'this file will be uploaded to the cloud, so a part of your personality will also be saved. will go.'
"That is, the basic concept is that you will be able to live forever."
Remind you that this technology is no more than a dream at this point. However, if we assume that it will be possible in the future, is this the life after death that man wants?
Not so, says Dr. Michael, because it's a different concept for each person.
The real thing is what you think your personality is. Some people will say that it is a copy and nothing more because real life is what we live moment by moment.
This means that death is a permanent stop in the continuum of life.
But here another important question arises? Is life after death a good thing or not?
Professor Leon Kass says that the realization of mortality brings with it many benefits. "When we know that we have limited time, we not only make better use of our experiences, but we try to improve things."
Theologian Stanley Huaravas believes that "love is only meaningful because of death."
Perhaps the real beauty of life can be realized only because of death?
Dr. Michael says, "When you know that the journey has to end, that's what makes the journey meaningful." So this raises the question, what is the purpose of life? The purpose of life is to live each day to the fullest and make it meaningful.
Dr. Michael says that the second law of thermodynamics, entropy, is the first law of life, i.e. the creation of some kind of stability out of the chaos of the universe. To do.
"Having a purpose, having friends, having a family, having relationships, all these things make a big difference." And why is there a need for more? Why does it have to be this way forever? Or that all this should be in another place like this?'
Why don't we enjoy it, living today, now? Live in the present moment.