Is there any such thing? Well I’ll answer that with another question, if I may. Has there ever been a more obscure notion, ridiculous question or hollow promise uttered, by any entity that has ever existed on the face of this planet throughout its long history? Obviously and to put it mildly, I don’t think so. Logically, it is a question that simply cannot be answered by the living, and the dead, despite what Sylvia Browne, John Edward or the Pope might have you believe, are well beyond being able to answer.
Just because no evidence exists for the affirmative however, does not automatically mean that evidence does exist for the negative. On the contrary, there is just as much evidence to suggest that either case may or may not be true - or false - but only in so far as there is no evidence at all. So I’m afraid that when viewed in the stark light of logic and common sense, the best conclusion that can possibly be drawn is that we simply do not know.
The notion of “life after death”, or some sort of existence beyond the death of our physical bodies, has been with us for quite some time however. From Babylon and Assyria, to Egypt, China, Europe and beyond, it forms a part of nearly every culture. It’s a common and recurring theme and it’s a fact that throughout recorded history, minds vastly superior to mine have, and continue to contemplate, not just whether it may be true but also what nature such an existence may take.
Heaven, hell, purgatory, limbo, re-incarnation, etc. Many aspects of eternity have at once been contemplated, believed in and discarded, yet no tangible evidence actually exists for any of them that anyone can point to unequivocally and say; “See? I told you so!” and be believed. In fact, we possess no faculty, nor have we ever managed to invent any equipment that enables us to see into any world, realm or dimension other than the physical one which we inhabit. Maybe it’s because of that, the fact that I don’t possess a vastly superior mind and the unanswerable nature of the question, that on the rare occasions I do find myself thinking about it, what I tend to contemplate mostly is how on earth it became an issue in the first place and why on earth we continue to bother with it at all.
Despite the obvious lack of evidence however, the notion has been used to great effect throughout history. Religion, as we know, makes the promise of an idyllic eternity the ransom for a pious life. Learn and live by its lessons, observe the laws, precepts, rituals, ceremonies and festivals that it dictates, deny yourself the freedoms, largess and excesses it disparages and access to heaven is assured. If you disobey or disagree, then generally some version of hellish torment awaits you in which you’ll suffer horribly forever. It seems a simple enough decision but under critical examination, what it becomes is an amateurish but effective attempt to control the thoughts and behaviours of its many believers.
It seems however, that the notion that I may somehow continue to exist, that my life does not end with the demise of my physical self, is somehow alien to me. Knowing, as I do, that the thoughts and emotions I experience are a direct result of electrical impulses generated by chemical processes taking place inside my body, it seems strange to me that I might somehow continue to think and emote once the organism that produces those thoughts and emotions ceases to function as a living organism. To me, it’s basic, very simple and quite logical.
Having said all of that though, I still find myself wondering if there might actually be a legitimate reason for contemplating an eternal life in this way, for believing that our “souls” or “spirits” will go on to paradise once our bodies die.
I recently heard it postulated in a documentary (“Atheism - A rough history of disbelief” by Jonathan Miller – BBC 2003) that belief in unseen and malevolent entities may be an evolutionary step that could work well for us as a survival trait. The argument goes that by constantly being prepared for danger even when none is apparent, we are less likely to be surprised and therefore more likely to survive an attack or ambush by a predator.
That’s as good a reason as any I’ve heard for believing in such things and it made me think. If that is correct, then could it be that the belief in an eternal paradise can also work as a survival trait? It makes just as much sense and would help explain why it is that some of the greatest thinkers throughout history have given so much of their time to such a completely unanswerable question.
Consider that during both prehistoric times and within recorded history, there have been times and places where people have found survival to be a very difficult and dangerous prospect. In that case, then perhaps the notion of a paradise, that exists just beyond some metaphorical horizon (that can only be reached in death and then only after surviving for as long as possible in whatever hostile environment you find yourself) could be considered a positive trait I think. If life ever becomes difficult enough that we might want to just give it up then who knows, the species might just find a trait like that to be a rather useful tool in the quest for its own survival.
The idea seems reasonable enough to me but just the same, I think I’d like for one of those vastly superior minds to have a poke at it. But considering how long the notion has been with us, how long there’s been no real evidence for it, that we still argue about it today and will probably continue to do so for the foreseeable future, then I’m also of the opinion that there’s probably a perfectly valid and logical reason for it. I just don’t think that the reason, should we ever find it, will actually have anything to do with any sort of real life after death at all.
Monday, May 7, 2007
Eternal Life
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