No one knows what it is like before or after death, but logically, after you die will be like before you were born.[1][2][3]
In other words, although no one knows what it is like to be dead (outside of those who have been brought back quickly and talk about white lights and such), but we all technically have experienced not being born yet.
Logically, using pure reason, we can assume that these two states are equivalent.
The argument for this is basic logic, we were not, then we are, then we are not again. Why would the states on either end be different?
Then from there we could question the point at which we “turn on” and become conscious (when we become us, when we get our, metaphorically speaking, “soul”).
The argument against the hypothesis that “before life is like after death” would be that our essence started upon our coming into the world (whatever that specific point is), that this essence and our existence added some specific property to our being, and that because of that property the span after death is different than the span before birth (that some impression of that property is retained after death).
There is really no way to know anything concrete about these metaphysical concepts, but we can confirm a single thing, and that is, to restate: “logically, after you die will be like before you were born”.
With that in mind, logic isn’t necessarily king (and neither is physics).
There is nothing about this that implies an essentialist or existentialist perspective, and I’d imagine it doesn’t conflict with many religious lines of thinking.
It is only simply a truism of physics and logic, to what degree it relates to the ethics of how we should act, or the mystic, spiritual, or metaphysics is anyone’s guess.
What Did You Experience Before You Were Alive?.TIP: Consider, everything in the universe is immortal on some level. All energy in the closed system is as old as the system itself, if not older. That means that every quantum particle in our body has been here since the big bang and will remain here forever. Energy in a closed system cannot be created or destroyed, and blackholes can (probably) record information. We know all sorts of things about physics and logic, but metaphysics is a different story. What does it mean?! We don’t know. That is a question of metaphysics, metaphysics is the art of asking questions we can’t or don’t know the answer to for sure.
TIP: Existentialism is [very roughly speaking] the idea that existence precedes essence, that we can’t confirm if there is purpose, thus we must create our own purpose. This doesn’t mean we can’t believe there is purpose, or that purpose doesn’t come from a higher source (Pascal’s Wager and Kierkegaard’s Christian Existentialism are both Christian existentialist theories who pair religion and existentialism), it means that since we can’t know for sure we have to give our own lives meaning or have faith in something beyond our sensibility. The most difficult questions, the ones that test your faith or your lack of faith, are sometimes the best. They force you to face the realm of metaphysics (where philosophy and spirituality dwell).
Using logic and reason, and considering physics, there is no reason to think that the experince of death won’t be like the experince we had before we were born (non-experience or an experience we can’t remember).
It is interesting to think about, because it forces us to consider what we can know and ask questions about that which we know we can’t know for sure.
Thomas DeMichele is the content creator behind ObamaCareFacts.com, FactMyth.com, CryptocurrencyFacts.com, and other DogMediaSolutions.com and Massive Dog properties. He also contributes to MakerDAO and other cryptocurrency-based projects. Tom's focus in all...
Thomas DeMichele's Full Bio
shankai staff Doesn't beleive this myth.
before I was born I never had consciousness , memory or physical form. But going in to death I would of had 3 of those things. All very big factors. If non existence doesn’t exist for actual things which really, it doesnt exist because it’s impossible for something to not exist after it has existed & That is common sense because that £1000 you burned still exists just not how you’d like it too & it always will. Then what makes the consciousness so special that it can just go back like nothing has ever before, into that same none existence the consciousness was in before you were born. That would mean that teleportation and time travel actually already exists .
m g Did not vote.
All i can say is this. As of right now every person alive is 1 for 1 existing after not existing at all for what one can call forever. Who’s to say we won’t exist again after we die, return to the state before we were born and exist again… We didnt exist, and then we did out of nowhere, we could die and go to nowhere but to say for certain we stay that way eternally is hard to substantiate given our track record lol… batting .1000!
Johan Supports this as a Fact.
Thank you all for your thoughts on this matter its very interesting to read your view points.I would like to add a experience what i believed a previous life was.Its a bit long but please stick with me.
My whole life i had these memories of being inside this huge factory with these huge furnaces and it being full of soot.It was very vivid even remembering the heat on my face.For almost 35 years i believed i worked in a factory possibly even died there,until four years ago.One day i accompanied my elderly father to these huge old abondoned buildings that was scedules for demolition.The moment i walked inside the flood gates opened and memories came pouring back to me.It turns out these buidlings where part of the huge mine network in the Free State Goldfields in South Africa and my father use to work on the mine as a blacksmith.On many occasions he would take me to the mine with him after shift end but the overtime shift would still be working hence the hot furnaces and soot and all this happened when i was about 2 to 3 years old.I believed in a previous life that was only images of things i saw as a child and remebered in my subconscious.I dont believe in a afterlife this is it.No second chances when we are gone we are gone.Now is the time to treat each other with respect and dignity.
Thomas DeMicheleThe Author Did not vote.
Thank you for sharing the story. Of course the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence. However, it can be a hint. Interesting perspective ☺️
http://factmyth.com/factoids/you-cant-prove-a-negative/
Dunkin Supports this as a Fact.
Assuming that nature is an eternally inflating populated multiverse, being born at some point in eternity as something or other should be far from surprising.
Chris C Supports this as a Fact.
I agree for the most part, but what is interesting is this.
When I was a child I remember having memories of things that surely didnt happen in my current existence. I no longer have these memories but remember having these memories if that makes sense?
Also I cannot remember much of been a baby, which possibly supports a theory that you can only remember back so far and that could be seen as a possibility that the reason we cannot remember pre birth is because we dont have the capacity for it.
But of course as a baby you still developing, so its also likely that the reason I cannot remember much of been a baby is simply that my brain wasnt capable fo storing memories at that point.
I can think of logical reasons of there been some kind of afterlife, however there is much bigger logical reasons saying there will not be one, as a cell I will likely still exist, but it will be a cell that is not capable of thoughts or actions, I might become part of soil or grass or something. There is billions of cells in the world, and I think when you gain this kind of life is when your cell perhaps is the starting cell in a brain.
One thing I have tried to rationalise this on is what happens in deep sleep, and when I fall to sleep, time itself goes poof, its like one moment you enter deep sleep, the next moment you wake up, dreams themselves seem to happen in late stage of sleep before waking up but after the moment your brain temporarily shuts down to rest. I certainly dont have dreams that last for several hours, there is simply hours of sleep where I seem to have no consciousness and that to me as bad as it is, its the most logical explanation of what we will experience when we die and what we experienced before we were born, just nothingness.
Charles Hanes Did not vote.
If there is anything that happens after you die it will be immediately because before you were born or after you die there’s no such thing as time it’s incident humans have a hard time at this concept but before you were born and after you die there is nothing
Niko Did not vote.
Death is OK… Cos nobody really did want to be born.
JenneB Supports this as a Fact.
Although I agree with the fact that after you died will be like before you were born, to an extent, I have to disagree that we have no of knowing what it was like before birth. Like myself, many people have prelife memories. Ones in which we remember making certain choices before coming here. I chose my family and many other aspects of my future life, even the dificculties I have been overcoming. Just know we all have a plan we laid out to learn as much as we can in this life and to learn to love one another..love is key to all.
Thomas DeMicheleThe Author Did not vote.
I like that version. Would be nice if it were accurate. Glad to hear about your thoughts and beliefs.
Rob Supports this as a Fact.
Seems legit.
Sad Supports this as a Fact.
Man I seriously hope not but I think that’s the case makes me upset, being alive is just such a thing emotions breathing, being sick, eating, loving, thinking s&#*& to not exist after having existed is just such a bullshit thing f&$# the universe for being this way, it’s cruel of existence to do that but whatever it doesn’t inherently have a moral code to follow.
Thomas DeMicheleThe Author Did not vote.
It isn’t the most fun thing in the world to think about, I agree. At the same time, one thing to think about here is that as far as we know not being born yet didn’t bother us, thus perhaps being in that state again after we die will be roughly the same.
Mostly though, since all we know we have for sure is the in-between part, it is logically ideal to appreciate what we have and live well.
Lynn hull Did not vote.
I think it’s a fact. After you die will be like before you were born, makes perfect sense to me. I think people create an after life after they die because they cannot stand the thought that they are not anymore, so they invent a new life in their head. I say get into the life that you have because when it’s over, it’s over. Have some fun while you are here, and eat ice cream.
Manuel Supports this as a Fact.
I agree in that when asked, one cannot remember past lives based on energy/essence alone. We could have been dinosaurs to name a few; who knows what we will be in future lives. Yes, I believe death is a tranquil state one awaits until the next life.
Dave Supports this as a Fact.
True