Is there any kind of atheistic afterlife you can imagine?
I recently wrote a post about this question at my blog that I'll summarize as: "Remember fondly, those you've loved who have passed away. As long as you remember them, they will live on. You are their afterlife."
I'm really interested to hear what ideas other people may have on the concept of a non-supernatural afterlife? It was a tweet that inspired me to think more on the subject so to that end i don't think i'm the only person who's come across the concept?
Without belief in the spiritual/supernatural and the promise of heaven if you're good and hell if you're bad i think it would be sort of nice to know that the good things we did in life will grant us our own afterlife is the memories that others hold of us after we've gone.
I'd like to leave a large "hole" in the concept open to debate as well, as my partner pointed out "bad people get remembered too" - i'd like to think that bad memories create a bad "afterlife" in the sense that you don't really remember bad things in a fond way so wouldn't really dwell on it, or keep it afloat in the same was as something that filled you with happiness?
i also realise i'm verging on the "hippy" side with all this ;)
AA
Here's the link to the post btw if anyone's interested to read it, http://amplified-atheist.blogspot.com/2012/01/living-provide-afterl...
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Carol Foley on -
I like the third option. ;-)
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Permalink Reply by cookiesdaddy on -
No, there's nothing after. Just be a good camper and try to leave things a little bit better than when you got here.
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Permalink Reply by Ron V on -
Perhaps the last image/idea in our brain before it completely shuts down is our "eternity" (which is why I want to go out doing something pleasurable)
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Permalink Reply by Bob MacVay on -
Most religions offer an eternal life as a reward after death and since we, as atheists all agree, the only real perpetual life is to live on in the brains of other living beings, I think we have to give some credit to the jesus's and allah's and all the likes in the religious world for pulling one off on us.When we die we will be remembered by family and friends for a while but eventually be forgotten.These guys are still engrained in the minds of millions of faithful followers thousands of years later and likely many more to come.So theoretically they developed everlasting life for themselves.Who said the ancients weren't that bright.
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Nessel on -
"As all atheists agree"? How do you know? I personally don't believe in life after death, for the same reason I don't believe in God: The evidence simply isn't there. But I would never assume that just because someone is an atheist, he or she doesn't believe in some form of existence after death. Buddhists, for instance? (I don't know a lot about Buddhism, so I may be off there.)
In any case, the question of whether God exists and the question of whether an afterlife exists are two separate questions. I'm guessing millions of people worldwide have reached different conclusions on them.
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Permalink Reply by Mabel on -
In any case, the question of whether God exists and the question of whether an afterlife exists are two separate questions. I'm guessing millions of people worldwide have reached different conclusions on them.
@ Sarah - I agree. I am atheist and I leave my mind open to the idea of possible life after death though I highly doubt it and realize it is not something I could ever know for certain.
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Permalink Reply by Becca on -
You asked me to imagine so Yes... one where we develop the technology to 'upload' someones mind into another 'vessel' (another body or machine or whatever) when our original biological body begins to fail. Or this doesn't really count as an afterlife per se but maybe we will one day know how to stop the aging process and theoretically be able to live forever.
Here's some food for thought: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_immortality
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Permalink Reply by Andrew Strout on -
Also there are other ways too. You can create a virtual avatar like this guy
http://prezrelease.uillinois.edu/2011/01/21/avatar-research/
I wouldn't mind doing this at all. I would love for my "consciousness" to live on forever. That way I could see the human race explore the galaxy.
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Permalink Reply by Donald S. Chase on
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My epitaph will read "All Ye who pass here speak my name, that I might attain immortality".
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Permalink Reply by Bob MacVay on
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Addressing Sarah's response "As all atheists agree"? How do you know? I personally don't believe in life after death, for the same reason I don't believe in God: The evidence simply isn't there." This is exactly why I assumed atheists would generally agree on this matter because being atheists, they look for scientific evidence on all matters. I am not aware of any to support an afterlife.I think Mabel is doing some wishful thinking by leaving the door open to the possibility of an afterlife if she is truly an atheist.I think part of being an atheist is realizing that when you die and all brain function ceases, its over. You now only exist in the memories of other human beings.
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