Kharakov

Maybe quantum uncertainty arises out of subtle differences in elementary particles. I doubt 2 red blood cells in a human body are exactly alike, although they seem to be because they carry out similar activities.

Science searches for exploitable similarities between units- don't let the similarities blind you to the individuality of an electron .

crocodile deathroll

What happens over the course of your life when virtually all your body's atoms are replaced with other atoms due to <a href="http://archneur.ama-assn.org/issues/v59n11/ffull/ned20019.html" target="_blank">protein synthesis</a> etc?

[ December 07, 2002: Message edited by: crocodile deathroll ]</p>

Beoran

From this we can conclude that the self lies in the way the atoms are structured, and not in the atoms themselves. The whole is more than the sum of the parts. Emanent properties of matter is hat called, IIRC.

Theli

Flatland...

I never said survival. Let's just state that a certain effect can exist at 2 different points in time, point A and point C. While point B being the delay between A and C. Just because the effect exist in A and C doesn't follow that it must exist in B.
My point was that survival is not required as the possibility of (re-)creation still exist.

Theli

Croc...

So, it's safe to assume that if every subatomic particle in my body were to be replaced with identical particles it would still be me.
We can safely say that the individual particles doesn't determine the unique awareness.

But here comes the problem, if memories determine the unique awareness shouldn't memory-loss be equal to death to the "soul"?
Would you say that it would not be the same awareness at work in the brain if the memory would change?

Ofcouse, when I die the effect (side-effect) of my awareness cease to function. Very much like a program in a computer, when someone unplugs the electricity.

The memory, being simply information cannot make the complete awareness.

[ December 07, 2002: Message edited by: Theli ]</p>

Theli

Don't you just love it when your discussion gets interupted by emotional outbursts and rhetoric starting with "So what.."?
It doesn't matter what the discussion is about, there's always someone who's telling you that you shouldn't be discussing it.

sweep

If there were only one lifeform in the universe, suspended in a warm pool or nutrients, and that is all it senses for ?X time, and that lifeform expires. Then another lifeform, made of the the same substance, and the same shape materialises in a warm pool of nutrients, living for the same X time, would that be the same consciousness, since it is the ONLY consciousness in the universe, or would it be something else, and is it possible to be two different things, despite having the same consciousness?

Is it possible for anyone else to have become 'you', and *you* (the thing formed by environment) to have become some'thing' else?

If the body that provides *your* consciousness was born four hundred years ago, would you be you?

ELECTROGOD

Determining if there is Life after death should be held to the same standard as determining if there is life before death.

Most sane people would equate life with reality whether or not the believe in god/afterlife, correct?

Life before death is provable using accepted standards of evidence, logic, reason.
Life after death has not been proven using accepted standards of evidence, logic, reason.
Can life then exist in two forms, real AND imaginary?
If you say yes then I suspect that your definition of "life" is a sliding definition with no real definition.
If you say no then you would appear to have a set and definable definition of what life is based on what everyone universally can understand/see for themselves.

The word "life" used in this way by those who believe in life after death would seem to be another example of "religious slang".

crocodile deathroll

Theli...

Could it be that the "soul" is analogous a single lit up room in a very large building so the overall wattage is kept at a constant 100 at a time and when is is switched off another room is randomly selected and so on to maintain a constancy of 100 watts?

So in other words when you die then reality to maintain a constant ego-center it will switch you on somewhere else and begin another life exactly as if it is a first life experience.

Well if you forget that you were ever born in the first place and you reemerge as another person then who or what is going to inform you that you have already spent your "one" life?

Uni-Universe

Energy cannot cease from being. Energy can only travel and change form.

end of story.