What is the key to immortality? Is it believing in a particular religion? Is it uploading our minds onto a machine? Or is it something else? For those facing a terminal illness, questions of purpose and the afterlife are inevitable. I recently spoke with a friend who was in this situation. His mind was preoccupied with his life’s purpose and immortality. He viewed death not as something to be feared but embraced as a friend.
This would be a very difficult thing to discuss with a friend. As a philosopher, there's an objective answer to be given here, surely. If it is in fact true that human beings are naturally immortal, as I think, then we shouldn't expect an ending. Still, I think we might expect an ending to many things that we like, and that is something to be mourned whether there is an afterlife or not.
Even if there is no afterlife, it doesn't mean that this life is not worth living as I've been heard before. This life is just as beautiful with or without the afterlife.
This would be a very difficult thing to discuss with a friend. As a philosopher, there's an objective answer to be given here, surely. If it is in fact true that human beings are naturally immortal, as I think, then we shouldn't expect an ending. Still, I think we might expect an ending to many things that we like, and that is something to be mourned whether there is an afterlife or not.
Even if there is no afterlife, it doesn't mean that this life is not worth living as I've been heard before. This life is just as beautiful with or without the afterlife.
No I agree, I can't imagine why anyone would suggest life isn't worth living. I mean, especially since the afterlife is presumably just more life.