50
Do you believe in reincarnation? (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
108 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

I did get messed up by some anxiety and have these thoughts rolling through my head so I'll leave it at cosmic horror warning.

spoilerI'm not religious but I have thoughts about experiencing consciousness and what it is. I say that consciousness is independent of memory because we forget, clearly dependent on our physical body, etc. generally I do say that we don't know consciousness so maybe it can be reconstructed (in the can't rule out the possibility way)

So I can see scenarios were my conscious could pop into existence without my memories after I die (as I'm writing this I realized that's nothing to fear).

I am trying to adopt healthier mindset of looking at everything in life as a quest, new things are a call to action, and that it's okay if everything I do amounts to little in x number of years (worked out okay for ozymandias, right?).

Im probably just rambling because my life has got boring and monotonous along with actual fear of American politics.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 1 point 1 year ago* (12 children)

I see it (or at least some form of it) as a realistic possibility. Let's say that consciousness is a completely physical thing, a certain set of chemicals, cells and molecules in my brain that define what is "me". That would mean that given infinite time, something that possesses "my" consciousness would eventually appear again.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • hideshow 12 child comments
    •
  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1, but none of them are 2. Infinite time does not mean that everything (including your scenario) is going to happen.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1, but none of them are 2.

    That is by definition though. 2 is impossible to appear between 0 and 1. I know already that it's possible for my consciousness to exist and I don't see a reason to assume it's impossible to exist in the future. So, it becomes more like the Infinite Monkey Theorem. Technically, it's possible for my consciousness to not appear again, but almost surely it will.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •
  • [–] [S] 3 points 1 year ago

    Yeah and it should theoretically be instant from your perspective. The whole memories thing would be weird like you don't have your memories or you have a different set. My scenario is I'm reincarnated as a space squid and life w normal space squid existence

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (5 children)

    But that wouldn't be you, though, just a copy of you enjoying life while you're inert. Right? This is the basis of the game SOMA, btw. 👍

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 5 child comments
    •
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Why wouldn't it be her?

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
    •
  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (3 children)

    If I cloned you right now, would that clone be you? If I cut her, would you bleed? If I fed her, would you be full? The same principles apply, just within a different timeframe.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
    •
  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (2 children)

    Well no, but you didn't recreate my conciousness in this example, you made a new one using my DNA.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
    •
  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago (1 child)

    How could it be 'recreated', though? I cannot conceive it. Even if I copied your 'software' (memories, personality, all that seems to be located in your brain) and transferred it to a different body, that still wouldn't be you but two different entities. I think we kinda just have to make peace with the fact that death is final and that, if you want an extension, you have to dip into religion and the unknowable.

  • permalink
  • fedilink
  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
    •