At Skepticon 4, I didn’t just give my “Why Are You Atheists So Angry?” talk. I was also on a panel discussion about how rationalists should approach death — along with Julia Galef, Eliezer Yudkowsky, and James Croft, moderated by Jesse Galef. Of course we were able to reach a conclusive consensus on this question in 45 minutes…
Yeah, right. But it was a fascinating discussion, with areas of both disagreement and agreement that I totally didn’t expect. I only wish we’d had more time. I think death without a belief in the supernatural is a hugely important topic, and one that we need to talk about more. Fear of death is, I think, one of the main reasons that people stay attached to religious beliefs, and the more we can get non-religious philosophies of death spread out into the world, the more people will be comfortable with atheism. Anyway. Enjoy the panel!
Thanks for this, it’s a topic I’d love to see more widely discussed.
A few years ago, a cousin of mine died at the ripe old age of 28 suddenly and unexpectedly from a freak blood clot. On every anniversary of his death, and sometimes in between, there are tons of Facebook and realtime comments flying around in the family about how the only way they can bear his death is the knowledge that he’s up in heaven in a better place now, looking down on them waiting for them to join him. Every time I see or hear that comment, it makes me 1. sad because they’re living in such a delusion and 2. frustrated because when they say it’s the only reason they can possibly cope with the death it makes it impossible to interject any other ideas about death into the discussion without making me into some horrible vindictive uncaring asshole. I really wish secular ideas about death were socially acceptable. Again, thanks.
James was right. We need to work on building social support groups. I really miss the camaraderie that existed in my old cult. That was about the only quasi-good thing about it.
That need is the reason I follow and comment on blogs like this, why I have been seeking out other free thinkers and humanists in my area (finally having some success), why I keep up a blog of my own, why I joined the Lions, why I would attend Scepticon if I could afford to do so, etc. I have a need to feel connected with others and it would be so much better without the trappings and delusions of religion.
The internet is allowing us to progress by leaps and bounds in this area and I intend to do anything I can to speed it up. I will be attending a get together in nearby Sedona for the first time this coming Monday. It’s exhilarating!
Eliezer Yudowdski wants you to sign up for cryonics right now. http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Cryonics
I’m really surprised no one brought up the idea of suicide or euthanasia.
Brilliant thoughts on how Christians are not truly comforted during death. It is ironic.
I think Eliezer is correct about the promise of cryonics and perhaps even a little too pessimistic about the chance for future “resurrection.” My one nagging doubt about the prospects of a cryonic resuscitation is not due to existential threats to humanity but to political or financial instability that would lead to me being dumped out of my cozy liquid nitrogen bath before we ever reached the technological stage necessary for the operation. If I were assured of that continuity, I would be much more hopeful.
I’m also reminded of Steve Jobs’ oft repeated saying, that death is life’s greatest invention, because it wipes away the old to make room for the innovative new. I’ve never been quite able to muster enough hive mentality to approve that kind of thought–and considering the lengths he went to go on living, I kind of doubt he really believed it either.