To transcend time is my ultimate goal. — Dante

I'd say if transcending time is a possibility, then you're most likely in the process of doing exactly that, although you wouldn't know it?

Time is another one of these incredibly intangible concepts. But if I had to make just a single guess about it, I'd speculate that consciousness and the experience (or illusion?) of time are inexplicably linked.

But if I had to make just a single guess about it, I'd speculate that consciousness and the experience (or illusion?) of time are inexplicably linked. — Hermeticus

I would agree. Time may just be a human construct and perhaps holds no actual bearing over these motions through space.

In all honesty it was three years ago when I stopped feeling the progressive pressure of time, so I’d say I’m closer to my goal than I’ve ever been.

I expect death may answer that riddle for me. — Dante

NO! Death does NOT solve that riddle. LIFE does!

You might be interested in this.
It suggests a way of understanding time.

The problem with death is that, the dead never tell us how they are doing.

The problem with death is that, the dead never tell us how they are doing. — Corvus

I’m not overly concerned about the dead, my concern is with the emergence of life.

But that made me laugh.

I’m not overly concerned about the dead, my concern is with the emergence of life.

But that made me laugh. — Dante

Death is one of the immortal topics of philosophy. :)

Yeah, I was wondering, it would be so cool, if the dead could tell us whether they are still the same old life after the deaths, or having totally different living after the events of death somewhere in the universe, or indeed if they exist at all. But they never contact us once they departed. :chin:

Religions would have their versions of the scenario on deaths, but without supporting evidence.

Religions would have their versions of the scenario on deaths, but without supporting evidence. — Corvus

I fear that there will never be any empirical evidence other than the sound observation that the dead lack a consciousness.

My question is whether death is not in fact individual but universal. A condition to which all life is returned and from which it may form.

My question is whether death is not in fact individual but universal. A condition from which all life is returned and from which it may form. — Dante

Great point. Definitely something to think about. Will reflect over, and return if / when I get some ideas on it. Have a good day.

Inference: Life proceeds death because death precedes life. — Dante

Many believe in “reincarnation for this or similar ideas.

I personally subscribe to the notion that upon death we will simply be replaced by another consciousness that emerges posthumously via birth with a broadcast of a new and very much separate experience. (Not a form of reincarnation — Dante

Why use the term “we” then. If “we” are “replaced” by something non- “we” in any way shape or form then there is absolutely no continuity. You could just as easily say sometimes matter gets organised into something conscious. Reincarnation suggests a continuity of “conscious being” - some fundamental phenomenology whereby the consciousness that maintains our personal awareness is never lost but rebuilt. If you believe in replacement rather than continuity then there’s nothing intriguing about this as we know from science in a mechanical sense that we are recycled materially at least.

While dreamless sleep is the first and immediate comparison to death that comes to mind, your statement would imply that anytime I go into dreamless sleep, I actually die. I don't think that is what happens to me every night. — Hermeticus

Not necessarily. Dreamless sleep is retrospective from a state of being awake. Just because one doesn’t recall being aware during sleep doesn’t mean they didn’t dream. They just didn’t record it in memory. And unlike death or being awake neural activity actually increases during sleep.

Can you tell an Alzheimer’s patient that because they don’t remember the last hour they were dead for that hour. No.. they were still aware during that hour they just don’t at present recall having been so.

Many believe in “reincarnation for this or similar ideas. — Benj96

My postulate is similar to reincarnation for sure because it posits a cyclical motion of absence then formation, but I do not go as far as a sense of continuity, especially not for the individual.

If you believe in replacement rather than continuity then there’s nothing intriguing about this as we know from science in a mechanical sense that we are recycled materially at least. — Benj96

My idea is certainly more inclined to rely on science rather than hope and faith. However if the individual can be replaced by another individual, and life is all that can be experienced, then may exist a sequence of consciousnesses, though bearing no relation to anything it succeeds or replaced.

Premise One: Death is not simply the process of living and then dying but is perhaps more accurately identified as the absence of one’s consciousness. — Dante

OK from your first premise,

There are 2 types of absence. Absence to be transformed to non-absence through time such as the sun light at night (it is absent at nights but returns in the mornings), and the eternal absence (once departed, eternally non returnable).

It looks like the absence of one consciousness due to death is the latter one. Logically and scientifically the departed consciousness will never return, hence the eternal absence, unless you then come up with some esoteric belief or religious faith to negate that physical evidence and conclusion.

and the eternal absence (once departed, eternally non returnable). — Corvus

I’m not implying that the dead return in any capacity, they are indeed removed irrevocably from reality.

Logically and scientifically the departed consciousness will never return, hence the eternal absence, unless you then come up with some esoteric belief or religious faith to negate that physical evidence and conclusion. — Corvus

The departed consciousness will never return, but life will still emerge, one’s death does not impede the motions of life. Given that the initial absence was conquered by the emergence of life, the absence after death should be navigated by a similar motion.

I am still yet to find a convincing argument as to why death is different to the initial absence of life. People are very eager to defend this idea that conscious non-existence is eternal, when we know from our own existence that this is seemingly untrue.

If one absence is temporary why are we so desperate to conclude that the second absence is eternal? Death of the individual is and always will be permanent, but conscious non-existence was temporary and I assume will remain so despite death.

I am still yet to find a convincing argument as to why death is different to the initial absence of life. — Dante

The initial absence of life is unexperienced, non-progressed, un-lived, un-started state of absence, whereas the absence after death is non-existence of lived, experienced, progressed, expired and came to an end, therefore perished absence. There are clear differences in 2 non-existences.

The first absence has no historicity, the 2nd does have it.

The departed consciousness will never return, but life will still emerge, one’s death does not impede the motions of life. — Dante

How will life still emerge? What is the motions of life? Could you elaborate?

The initial absence of life is unexperienced, non-progressed, un-lived state of absence, whereas the absence after death is non-existence of lived, experience expired and came to an end, therefore perished absence. There is a clear difference in 2 non-existences. — Corvus

That is very hopeful, but the consciousness is absent in both cases, marking them as essentially identical. The state proceeding death is still non-being, unexperienced. The absences are the same, but you are trying to attribute a difference based on preceding events without actually considering death for what it is, which is nothing.

The first absence has no historicity, the 2nd does have it. — Corvus

History doesn’t matter to death, for death is nothing, it doesn’t even really exist, it’s just a way for the living to describe a state where life isn’t. But of course life is all there is to experience.

Even if death as an absence proceeds a life, this says nothing about the associated consciousness, which is not present at either state of non-existence.

How will life still emerge? What is the motions of life? Could you elaborate? — Corvus

Life emerges from an absence and death forms this requirement. Life will march on and thrive regardless of death.

It seems we are so eager to conclude that we are an individual and totally unique phenomenon, but death is encompassing, universal, a void that is the same for you or for me, the same state shared by literally everything that has died. An absence, and we already that absence precedes formation.

That is very hopeful, but the consciousness is absent in both cases, marking them as essentially identical. The state proceeding death is still non-being, unexperienced. The absences are the same, but you are trying to attribute a difference based on preceding events without actually considering death for what it is, which is nothing. — Dante

How can you say they are "essentially identical", when they are absent?

It is perhaps important to note that I want nothing more than an enduring state of eternal conscious non-existence, but so long as life can emerge from this condition, I am sadly troubled by my own thoughts.

How can you say they are "essentially identical", when they are absent? — Corvus

I do not understand your question. I am saying that any absence is the same as any other absence.

The absence preceding me is the same as the absence preceding you. The preceding time periods are not part of our timelines. Our timelines commence in the womb where the consciousness is developed.

What I have concluded based on my existence and the preceding absence is that life forms from conscious non-existence. And thus when I look to death, I expect a similar event to transpire.

I do not understand your question. I am saying that any absence is the same as any other absence. — Dante

I was meaning if something is non-existence, you don't know if they are the same, or different in essence. You can only tell how the existence got into the absence. But once they are non-existence, you cannot tell they are identical or not in essence.

The absence preceding me is the same as the absence preceding you. The preceding time periods are not part of our timelines. Our timelines commence in the womb where the consciousness is developed. — Dante

I am not sure about that either. I believe that the consciousness emerges from a human being when it is about 2-3 years after birth. Before that, it has instinctive perception, but not consciousness loaded with intelligence. Human consciousness is a function emerged and evolved from brain. When a human being gets old, his consciousness gets dim and cloudy due to the worn out brain state of the old age. I have witnessed it in real life before.

I was meaning if something is non-existence, you don't know if they are the same, or different in essence. You can only tell how the existence got into the absence. But once they are non-existence, you cannot tell they are identical or not in essence. — Corvus

Something cannot be in non-existence. Non-existence is just a human construct to describe a lack of something. It doesn’t actually exist within reality,

Once something ceases to exist it does not exist in a state of non-existence, it does not exist at all. Especially the consciousness. Non-existence is the same for every death, it is not unique nor individual.

You wouldn’t say that a lack of apples suggests that there are apples existing in a realm of non-existence.

I am not sure about that either. I believe that the consciousness emerges from a human being when it is about 2-3 years after birth. Before that, it has instinctive perception, but not consciousness loaded with intelligence. Human consciousness is a function emerged and evolved from brain. When a human being gets old, his consciousness gets dim and cloudy. I have witnessed it in real life before. — Corvus

I watched two little brothers develop. Babies are conscious. They are not endowed with superior intelligence but they do in fact compile memories and can respond to them. That’s how they acquire language, that’s how they feed, thats how they learn their parents’ faces.

You seem to be suggesting that a conscious being is one that relies on its ability to remember. I have been blackout drunk before where there were hours I could not recall, but everyone had recalled me being conscious and talking and living normally. Just because I didn’t remember anything doesn’t mean I wasn’t conscious.

Something cannot be in non-existence. Non-existence is just a human construct to describe a lack of something. It doesn’t actually exist within reality,

Once something ceases to exist it does not exist in a state of non-existence, it does not exist at all. Especially the consciousness. Non-existence is the same for every death, it is not unique nor individual. — Dante

Non-existence is the same for every death? I don't know. I cannot imagine what non-existence or death would be, not having experienced personally. I am sure you have not either.

You wouldn’t say that a lack of apples suggests that there are apples existing in a realm of non-existence — Dante

Apple and death are not even apple and oranges. Categorical mistake.

Once something ceases to exist it does not exist in a state of non-existence, it does not exist at all. Especially the consciousness. Non-existence is the same for every death, it is not unique nor individual. — Dante

Never said they are unique or individual. But definitely unknown, or nothing to comment on, because they are not existent.

I watched two little brothers develop. Babies are conscious. They are not endowed with superior intelligence but they do in fact compile memories and can respond to them. That’s how they acquire language, that’s how they feed, thats how they learn their parents’ faces. — Dante

Sure, I would say that it is a type of evolved emergent function of consciousness from brain. When one gets old, it fades away, I saw it.