Communist/Anarchist view on life after death?

[Nikolay]

What's the communist/anarchist view on life after death? Do we just die, and never come back, get reincarnated, or go to heaven or hell?

I would like to think we either get reincarnated or go to heaven...

[Taters]

Everyone goes to eternal bliss, except you.

[Remus Bleys]

I'm one of the few religious people on the board. So, i think everyone eventually gets to heaven.

The "Communist view" (and certainly the anarchist view) is the marxist one. You die.

[BIXX]

I dunno. But really, I think afterlife makes the struggle for an anarchist society pointless. Reincarnation might not.

Personally I believe that there is nothing.

[Red_Banner]

Whatever happens, happens.

Probably better to not worry about it.

[Trap Queen Voxxy]

I believe in life after death but as to what that means exactly I don't know but I do entertain several alternating theories about the subject.

[Creative Destruction]

I don't think communism or anarchism have anything to say about the afterlife or if there's a lack thereof. They're concerned with life's current material conditions. Whatever afterlife question there is is left up to the person's personal religion or philosophy.

I am a Christian agnostic, but I am sympathetic to the pantheistic view. Once we die, we gives our bodies back to nature and it in some way conditions the soil or our bodies are recycled. Kind of a more concrete sort of reincarnation. As far as a soul, if it lives on, I simply don't know. I've seen some interesting stuff about reincarnation, but it didn't stand up scientifically.

eta. I guess there's a fair bit about religion from Marx, but he was concerned more about how people use religion as a crutch in an oppressive society and how organized clergy are apart of the oppressive state apparatus. I don't think he made a personal value judgement on religion itself, though.

[Creative Destruction]

But really, I think afterlife makes the struggle for an anarchist society pointless..

How so? We have our lives here and the last thing we want to do is suffer. If we can alleviate our suffering in this life, we should. There's no good reason to live 70 shitty years on the chance that maybe the afterlife is better.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

I believe in life after death but as to what that means exactly I don't know but I do entertain several alternating theories about the subject.

How the fuck can you believe in something without even knowing what it is? You just entertain these stupid thoughts because it sounds neat, just like you do in other regards, not because you have any reason or clear idea of how it is. The drugs have probably done a number on your brain.

Fucking afterlifers.

[Creative Destruction]

How the fuck can you believe in something without even knowing what it is? You just entertain these stupid thoughts because it sounds neat, just like you do in other regards, not because you have any reason or clear idea of how it is. The drugs have probably done a number on your brain.

Fucking afterlifers.

holy fucking shit. calm down.

[Radio Spartacus]

My opinion is not that the afterlife is impossible but...outlook not so good. Maybe when we die we go to a special cloud where people know what dictatorship of the proletariat means and candy grows on trees.

Many of us have mixed feelings about religion, given the reactionary nature of religious organization throughout history. That said, people can have whatever metaphysical beliefs they want if they don't go burning people over them.

[Trap Queen Voxxy]

How the fuck can you believe in something without even knowing what it is?

I believe in the possibility of life after death and I entertain various theories as to the specifics and so on. I also entertain the idea that there could be no life after death as well. So what? Who cares?


You just entertain these stupid thoughts because it sounds neat, just like you do in other regards, not because you have any reason or clear idea of how it is.

You don't have the faintest clue about why I support and or entertain the theories that I do, first and foremost. Moving forward, you feeling the need to take time out of your day to proceed with this ridiculous attempt at insulting me and going on this little fit of yours, speaks volumes about your person and for itself, as well.


The drugs have probably done a number on your brain.

That's not very nice, not very nice at all nor was it called for or warranted.


Fucking afterlifers.

:rolleyes:

[Brandon's Impotent Rage]

Do I think there's life after death?

I don't know. I don't think I can know. But either way I attempt to live my life in the here and now, because the distinct possibility of their being nothing but oblivion after death makes me want to make the world of today a better place for both me, and the people who will come after.


....Personally, I kinda hope the afterlife ends up like Riverworld.

[Radio Spartacus]

How the fuck can you believe in something without even knowing what it is? You just entertain these stupid thoughts because it sounds neat, just like you do in other regards, not because you have any reason or clear idea of how it is. The drugs have probably done a number on your brain.

Fucking afterlifers.

You could express your sentiments less childishly if you thought them out more. If not, reddit is only a few clicks away.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

I believe in the possibility of life after death and I entertain various theories as to the specifics and so on. I also entertain the idea that there could be no life after death as well. So what? Who cares?


It's fucking daft.


You don't have the faintest clue about why I support and or entertain the theories that I do, first and foremost. Moving forward, you feeling the need to take time out of your day to proceed with this ridiculous attempt at insulting me and going on this little fit of yours, speaks volumes about your person and for itself, as well.

It only speaks for my dislike of you, which is endless and yet somehow manages to deepen every time you vomit forth some of that conspiracy gibberish, or in this case, some imbecilic metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, and to the fact that I have nothing better to do, but that's neither here nor there.


That's not very nice, not very nice at all nor was it called for or warranted.

Fucking right it's warranted, what else could explain you always being on this sort of shit? Ape army via Daily Telegraph, conspiracy shit, you're more or less a bloody truther. Next up: chemtrails. Russian Bigfoots Mutated by Stalin-era experiments, bred with rural locals in Azerbaijan. Drug-induced hallucinations proof of life after death. Telepathic communication with Dolphins under the Influence of LSD. Something being a Neat Idea Makes It Real and Serious.

[Creative Destruction]

It's fucking daft.

It's got nothing to fucking do with you. Stop being an asshole.

[Trap Queen Voxxy]

It's fucking daft.

How?


It only speaks for my dislike of you,

It's ok to love me baby.<3


which is endless and yet somehow manages to deepen every time you vomit forth some of that conspiracy gibberish or in this case, some imbecilic metaphysical mumbo-jumbo, and to the fact that I have nothing better to do, but that's neither here nor there.

I think it is both here and there. I think you must be lonely and you don't know how to properly express your admiration for me in an appropriate way.


Fucking right it's warranted, what else could explain you always being on this sort of shit?

I entertain and support ideas you disagree with boohoo. Would you care to whine about it some more?


Ape army via Daily Telegraph, conspiracy shit, you're more or less a bloody truther. Next up: chemtrails. Russian Bigfoots Mutated by Stalin-era experiments, bred with rural locals in Azerbaijan. Drug-induced hallucinations proof of life after death. Telepathic communication with Dolphins under the Influence of LSD.

Are you done yet? Do you feel better?


Something being a Neat Idea Makes It Real and Serious.

It does.


It's got nothing to fucking do with you. Stop being an asshole.

Try to be nice to the guy, I mean, I think he needs some friends.

[Lensky]

Takayuki please stop using the word daft it is ableist

[Alan OldStudent]

What's the communist/anarchist view on life after death? Do we just die, and never come back, get reincarnated, or go to heaven or hell?

I would like to think we either get reincarnated or go to heaven...

Hello Comrade Marceau,

We don’t live forever, and when our bodies die, all of our being dies. We need the humility to accept that if we are to be truly rational and sane in the deepest sense of the word. For that, we need good old-fashioned humility.

If humility means an appreciation of one’s place in the greater scheme of things, it makes a difference if one thinks we are eternal. Humility is supposed to be a virtue in many religions, yet humility is impossible to achieve unless one understands the unpleasant truth that we exist only for a briefest instant in cosmic time.

We are beings on a speck in a distant minor galaxy somewhere in the outskirts of the universe. We are not eternal. So rather than worry about life after death or eternity, we need to focus on the human condition, how we exist in our present dimension. We need to understand we soon all will cease to be sooner or later.
http://alanoldstudent.nfshost.com/general_images/Dingbats/divide4.gif

Sometimes I marvel at the miracle that I’m conscious, self aware. I walk and look at the trees, the clouds, witness the birds flying in formation in this beautiful part of the world. I smell the trees, feel the mist on my skin, my eyes drinking in the milk of gentle sunlight playing with the leaves, the clouds, the sky, reflecting of the lake. And I am so grateful to be a witness to the utter beauty of the sky, if only for this brief instant. I’m grateful that I’m a bubble floating on the winds of existence, while being aware that I’ll soon burst.

How conscious I am that I am near the end of my life.

I do not believe in reincarnation or that our consciousness survives after we die. Our individuality dies with us the same way that a drop of water dissolves into the ocean when it falls as rain.

The English poet Andrew Marvell says this:
......But at my back I always hear
......Time's winged chariot hurrying near;
......And yonder all before us lie
......Deserts of vast eternity.

For many, facing one’s mortality is frightening, because it means accepting the fact that our existence as individuals is so very temporary.

What I take comfort in is that for most of my life, I have been a dedicated revolutionary socialist, and that although I will soon no longer exist, I’ve done my bit to help make this world a better place. We all make mistakes, but if the good we do outweighs our mistakes, we were not a waste of real estate and natural resources. Moreover, we were truly moral.

If our lives have any meaning at all, it comes from our efforts to improve the lot of humanity, our children, to join with our brother and sister humans in the struggle to bring justice, decency, and beauty to a starving race, presently living under capitalist depravity, exploitation, pollution, imperialist war, racism, sexism, and ugliness.

They say that only the young are concerned about the meaning of life and that as one gets older, one gets more jaded and cynical. That’s not been true of me at all. I still remain optimistic about the future of humanity, about the prospects for socialism, although I won’t live to see it. I’m so grateful to the young people of this world. We older folks are yesterday. We’ve mostly played our parts. Most of you are tomorrow. Try to learn from our mistakes and listen and learn from each other. Try to avoid pettiness.

I have great confidence in the young people of this world.

My wife, the love of my life, died several years ago. I wrote a eulogy to her in which I spoke of these questions. You might like to read it by clicking here (http://alanoldstudent.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/rest-in-peace-sweet-margaret/).

http://alanoldstudent.nfshost.com/general_images/Dingbats/redbutterfly.gif

Regards,

Alan OldStudent
The unexamined life is not worth living--Socrates

[RedAnarchist]

We are organic beings made of energy that will one day become part of other things. Our conciousness will most likely be ended at death. I doubt that if there is some sort of afterlife, that it will be anything like those forms known to humanity. I think the possibility of an afterlife is extremely low.

There is a possibility in this century that we might be able to extend life beyond what current limits. I don't know if we can live forever, but I can see advances being made that allow for a much longer life - whether anyone but the rich will be able to take advantage of this or not is unclear, but I wouldn't be surprised.

[Art Vandelay]

I don't think that the left is homogeneous enough to state whether or not there is a definitive position on the question of the existence of an afterlife. That being said I think the correct position is one of atheism, understood as simply a rejection of theism. I also don't think one can be both religious and a Marxist, irregardless of whether or not through cognitive dissonance they claim to be. Anyone who proclaims to know, for a fact, what happens when one dies, however, should not be taken seriously, since they clearly don't have a materialist understanding of the limitations of their own perception. All that aside, I think its clear which side of the debate adheres to the scientific method.

[Flying Purple People Eater]

There is no communist or anarchist view on the afterlife because it doesn't exist.


It's like asking if there is a communist or anarchist view on grigs in the garden.

[ChrisK]

When I die, I regenerate.

[Sperm-Doll Setsuna]

How?


It all stems from the same rotten magical thinking. There must be zero tolerance for these sort of silly idealistic notions. New-age mumbo-jumbo, conspiracy thoughts, all tie into the same mess of magical thinking that must be fought tooth and nail.


It's ok to love me baby.<3

Ugh, that always was the lamest retort there ever was.


I think it is both here and there. I think you must be lonely and you don't know how to properly express your admiration for me in an appropriate way.

That I am, and there have indeed been cases where it has evolved like that, but this is not one of them. I do not like you at all. I find your views repulsive.


I entertain and support ideas you disagree with boohoo. Would you care to whine about it some more?

Yes, sure.


It does.

In the mind of an idealist, it does.


Try to be nice to the guy, I mean, I think he needs some friends.

Never seen that one before!


Takayuki please stop using the word daft it is ableist

Oh, shove it. Daft is someone who is not physically slow in their thoughts but has the potential to think but refuse to use it.

[Jimmie Higgins]

I don't think revolutionary politics really seek to deal with the subject.

Personally I think when we die, that's it. It's sad, but I suppose we wouldn't know it once we're done anyway... sadder to have to face and fear it and see others die because that we actually know we experience.

It sure would be nice to know that our consiousness continues, but I don't think there's much of a concrete basis to believe it does.

[Trap Queen Voxxy]

It all stems from the same rotten magical thinking. There must be zero tolerance for these sort of silly idealistic notions. New-age mumbo-jumbo, conspiracy thoughts, all tie into the same mess of magical thinking that must be fought tooth and nail.

The fact that you're trying to reduce my "theories," or some homogeneous boogeyman set of arguments you've created in your mind to idealism and mysticism is precious. It's even more hilarious considering I've stated in this thread I've taken an agnostic position in regards to life after death. Oh, the horror, oh, the humanity. You're right, that's such an unreasonable position. :rolleyes:


Ugh, that always was the lamest retort there ever was.

:lol:


That I am, and there have indeed been cases where it has evolved like that, but this is not one of them. I do not like you at all. I find your views repulsive.

Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself? You do have the option to block me and as a result you wouldn't be able to view any of my posts but here we are, aren't we? What does that say? Hmm?


Yes, sure.

I'll be sure to give you a hug when you're done with your little tantrum here.


In the mind of an idealist, it does.

Oh, how neat, you're using this "idealism," to sound like you actually have some coherent argument and aren't just being dramatic and creating ways to talk to me. That's exciting.


Never seen that one before!

Oh, trust me, I'm sure you haven't, lol, it's ok, I'll be your friend. :)

[Comrade Jacob]

I think we die and the only thing that's conscious are our ideas and our affect on the world.
You can still be a communist and be of faith.

[Tim Cornelis]

Everything we know about how humans and animals work, particularly their brains, suggest there can't be such thing as an afterlife. Any suggestion otherwise is as infantile-a-logic as swapping bodies as done in TV shows. Our consciousness is derived from the unique form of neurons in our brain -- shape, structure, and electrons rushing through our neurons. My emotions, my feelings, my memories are not the product of some undetectable unproven "soul", but the product of electrons rushing through my neurons. When these neurons disintegrate or when these electrons stop rushing (i.e. when we die) the consciousness dies with it. Our consciousness cannot be transmitted unless our brains are transmitted, and I have never seen a brain transport upward to the heavens or into a newborn's head -- I'm sure such an amazing sight would be widely publicised.

It's the same with computers. When you smash it the electrons can no longer rush through the circuit board, and the memories, operating system, etc. can no longer function. It is not transmitting to another dimension, it simply ceases to be.

[helot]

Everything we know about how humans and animals work, particularly their brains, suggest there can't be such thing as an afterlife. Any suggestion otherwise is as infantile-a-logic as swapping bodies as done in TV shows. Our consciousness is derived from the unique form of neurons in our brain -- shape, structure, and electrons rushing through our neurons. My emotions, my feelings, my memories are not the product of some undetectable unproven "soul", but the product of electrons rushing through my neurons. When these neurons disintegrate or when these electrons stop rushing (i.e. when we die) the consciousness dies with it. Our consciousness cannot be transmitted unless our brains are transmitted, and I have never seen a brain transport upward to the heavens or into a newborn's head -- I'm sure such an amazing sight would be widely publicised.

It's the same with computers. When you smash it the electrons can no longer rush through the circuit board, and the memories, operating system, etc. can no longer function. It is not transmitting to another dimension, it simply ceases to be.


You're forgetting one very important thing.... MAGIC! :lol:

[Sinister Intents]

I believe we have no possible way to know, but I love the thought there may be an after life :) then again there is no way to know until we die.

[Lenina Rosenweg]

Some thoughts at random.

Basically I'm a materialist, I prefer scientific explanations of physical reality. Having said this I have had "mystical" or "spiritual" experiences or feelings, both under the influence of hallucinogens and while NUI. I admit I don't know what underlies this.It seems to connected with the serotonin level in the brain. Whether a mystical experience could be seen as "real" or valid or is better regarded as a Hallucination"is up to debate I suppose.

Anyway a few years ago after my father died I went though something of a parapsychology stage.Two researchers, Robert A Monroe and Thomas Campbell claim to have experienced, and have done much research into "out of the body experiences".

Its well known that during OBEs people do not literally leave their body. The researchers I mentioned freely admit this.However they also claim to have travelled in some sort of inward journey, to other worlds, other "planes" and to have met people after they have died. They've done extensive documented research. They admit that these experiences are subjective.

Campbell has devised a cosmology, his "Big TOE" around his experiences(its on Youtube). He's way too idealist for me but I do think these people and many others have experienced something.

Its not enough to say these people are "daft" Perhaps theyt are but could this have a material basis? It may be due tobrain hemistry, etc, but if so, what is this?

I despise Obama but one thing he did a few months ago, intrigues me,as I understand it. This is the "human connectome project",(supposed to analagous to the human genome project) to understand and fully map out the human brain, much of which is still poorly understood.

I would wager that something is happening with OBE, mystical experiences, etc over that of hallucination and that whatever is going on will be seen to have a material basis.