Scared of dying?
- Thread starter Ross 95
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All. ALL organisms have survival instincts. Fear is nature's way of keeping you alive. Even a newborn baby will cry at the threat of a predator. Your confusing definitions of fear, I'm talking from a purely evolutionary stand point. As I said, it was an observation of nature, not a debating point. To refer to my car analogy yet again, fear is what causes you to jump out of the way of the car. It's a natural reaction, you don't THINK about it. You're thinking about fear or not, which isn't part of my argument. Every single person aims to prolong their life for as long as possible, hence why medicine is so widely respected and wanted. I'm sure you must fear at least what you leave behind. If death causes you to leave your family behind, and you fear leaving your family behind, you must fear death - you don't fear the result of something and not fear the cause of that result.
---------- Post added at 09:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:49 PM ----------
Definition: Self-preservation is behavior that ensures the survival of an organism. It is universal among living organisms. pain and fear are parts of this mechanism. I stated this in my very first argument, you debated me in relation to that post - you therefore accepted the definitions I put forth, If you disagreed with them, then there was no debate.
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Sam
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Can I ask who believes in evolution? Cos I just can't contain the thought that you could just die and that be it. That is scary :S
I agree that erything has survival instincts, but i can't agree that everyone fears death. to use your car example i would say that you fear the action of getting hit by the car not the result of death.
Read my above post. To accept survival instincts is to accept fear as a part of that. You don't fear the pain, pain is the other mechanism used to survive.
contrary to what i might have made it sound like in reply to joel i do believe in evolution. if we knew that there would be nothing afterwards i might fear death, although not as much as if we knew it would mean we'd be stuck feeling exactly waht we did when we died. i suppose i take comfort in the many theories because i know that no-one knows for sure and so it's a mystery taht simply intrigues me and makes me want to find out what happens. i doesn't mean i want to die but it also means i'm not afraid of dieing.
ok well it's clear we're not going to agree so i'm happy to call it even as you appear to think everyone fears death and not the consequences of death and i think we all fear the things that have death as a consequence of them as don't believe everyone fears dieing in their sleep as it's painless and you fear most what causes you the most pain. we're probably both right to a certain extent although i doubt either of us are 100% right.
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Sam
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Yeah I know :S So I don't wanna cause an argument about something off-topic but it just baffles me that you can view that as a fact. There are so many unlikelyhoods in that theory. (Feel free to VM me if you want to 'educate' me)
I actually believe in God and i little within Evolution. I believe all of this universe was created by God, but as time as gone on i believe that it has developed and that evoltuion as kind of took its toll on several things. But i too feel that it is scary if it all 'stops' when we die.
[video=youtube;cXr2kF0zEgI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXr2kF0zEgI[/video]
Thought it would flow with the current conversation.
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Have you read what I've posted in this thread, at all? I said we are all have a subconscious natural fear of it due to evolution. That was all. You cannot fear being dead - it's nothingness, to fear it implies that it is something. I also made the point on fearing leaving your family behind - that's a consequence. Fears are of the process of dying. There's a difference. You're fine being alive, and you're fine being in a state where you're dead (because well, you can't experience disliking it.) The only thing left is the transitional period in between. Your fear of death impacts your life more than you care to acknowledge. You can argue that "you don't walk in front of a car because you're not ready to die, not because of fear" it's the fear that warns you of that consequence. You wouldn't survive without it, it exists for a purpose. To apply your logic to pain, I can argue that I don't keep my hand on a radiator because I don't want to burn my hand, not because I don't want to feel pain. But pain is the reason you're aware of the radiator and move away. In the same way fear makes you aware of situations and you avoid danger.
Self-preservation is behavior that ensures the survival of an organism. It is universal among living organisms. In some vertebrates, pain and fear are parts of this mechanism.
And I can put it in big letters too!
Interesting how you chopped a couple words off that definition. Doesn't specify which 'vertebrates', it doesn't mention humans, all in all it's quite vague, isn't it? It doesn't say which fears, either. Dogs fear fire, for instance, and it very well fits the concept of self preservation. And I doubt every single one of our fears is part of self-preservation instincts.
Now I promise, swear, give my word that I will not come reply to this thread any further - already came back twice. But don't let that stop you - feel free to watch Dexter's Lab and read Wikipedia to back up your argument with some more pedantic comments and big, coloured words, if you please.
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Sam
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Lol I feel some bans coming on XD
I've said it once and I'll say it again, I wouldn't even slightly be afraid knowing death was coming if I knew it'd be in a painless way. 'Maniac Gunman' suggests a painful conclusion, so your example isn't the best to use to counter some of the posts in the thread.
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I think people are missing the point with Joel.
From what I read, hes saying at some point people will fear death for instances he has said above, ie being hit by a truck you move by instinct. I dont believe hes saying everyone fears death because they know its going to happen.
From what I read, hes saying at some point people will fear death for instances he has said above, ie being hit by a truck you move by instinct. I dont believe hes saying everyone fears death because they know its going to happen.
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Sam
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Wow hilarious.
It's an example to prove the point of evolutionarily wanting to survive. If you're in danger, you will feel fear and the need to escape the danger. Any sane man who says they don't are lying.