Is there an afterlife? if we just die and that's the end of it, then i am forced to believe that time was created when i was born also.
Also, no afterlife is really depressing (to me), because the thought of nonexistence, that thing where all your beliefs, all your likes and dislikes, everything about you doesn't matter anymore, makes me want to die.
i'm pretty sure there are things we don't know about the universe, but considering how we got here by blind chance, i doubt it.
You are "forced" to think time was created when you were born if there is no afterlife? That's a complete and total non-sequitur. You can't get from the lack of an after life to complete and total sollipsism.
Sorry the lack of after-life is so depressing, but what you've just done is make another logical fallacy called an appeal to consequences. You might find the idea of a lack of afterlife unappealing, but that doesn't present anything even remotely resembling evidence. Also, what does the lack of an afterlife have to do with the inherent value of your choices in this life? Another non-sequitur. Just because you don't like reality doesn't mean you get to make up a new one to suit your emotional needs. Or, at least, we don't have to take you seriously when you play pretend.
And finally an appeal to ignorance, followed by the classic, "blind chance" creationist canard. There are plenty of things we don't know about the universe, however, that doesn't give you any basis for claiming the existence for anything, and the laws of physics and chemistry and the process of natural selection has nothing to do with chance.
That's 4 logical fallacies in three sentences, the Bogometer is off the charts.
Quote from: Peacock on June 02, 2010, 10:33:34 PMAlso, no afterlife is really depressing (to me), because the thought of nonexistence, that thing where all your beliefs, all your likes and dislikes, everything about you doesn't matter anymore, makes me want to die.
That's weird, because it's the thought of future nonexistence that makes me want to
live.
How will the nonexistence after death be any different than the nonexistence before birth?
Because there will be a dinner party with cocktails and cannapês.
Can we call this one Pascal's Buzzkill? I don't see why no afterlife is reason to be upset. What really needs to be examined is the "doesn't matter anymore" part of your statement. "Doesn't matter anymore"... to whom? To what? Must a particular thing that you know or do be recorded extrasomatically (transferred to an external medium like a book or a video) for it to "matter"? Even if you did so, and no one in a present or future generation witnessed it, would it cease to "matter"?
Quote from: MrBogosity on June 02, 2010, 11:17:19 PM
That's weird, because it's the thought of future nonexistence that makes me want to live.
Same here. I've always found it odd when people say things like, "If there's no afterlife, then people will harm themselves or do stupid things, or won't want to live." That makes no sense.
QuoteHow will the nonexistence after death be any different than the nonexistence before birth?
You've experienced living, thus, the concept of dying is a confusing one. You didn't worry about these things when you were nonexistent before you were born.
Quote from: IceSage on June 18, 2010, 02:57:28 AMYou've experienced living, thus, the concept of dying is a confusing one. You didn't worry about these things when you were nonexistent before you were born.
Yes, but I won't be in much of a position to contemplate them after I cease existing, either.