Cafe Inquiry

This month's discussion topic: the afterlife

Throughout history, humanity has crafted a wide array of different ideas and perspectives about the afterlife. Many ancient cultures, such as the Egyptians, Greek, and Norse, conceived of the afterlife as a physical place that the soul traveled to after a person died. In China it was often believed that ancestors were deified after their death, and shrines to the ancestors was common in homes. In Hinduism and Buddhism it is believed that people are reborn into the world in a process known as reincarnation. In Christianity most believe in conceptions of heaven and hell where the soul goes after judgment from god. Finally, some believe that our essence, in some manner, becomes a part of a divine universe after a person dies. Finally, many people believe that we cease to exist after we die, and that we are inherently physical beings.

In truth, we don't know what happens to a person's consciousness (or soul) after they die. Mediums have claimed to contact the dead, but those claims have not been verified. Near-death experiences appear interesting, but notably the individual does not actually die in a near-death experience. Finally, hypnotism has suggested some individuals 'remember' past-lives, but the results have not usually clearly been verified with what we know about history. Culture and individual beliefs also tend to dictate much of how a person experiences near-death experiences or reacts when hypnotized.

What do our beliefs about the afterlife tell us about humanity? Is it fear of death, or the unknown, that most influences how we look at the afterlife? What do you think is most likely for the afterlife? Which conception of the afterlife would you prefer, regardless of its accuracy or truth? If you could design an afterlife, what would its features be?