Debate: Are you ready to die?

[Naryar]

Sorry ? This thread is interesting.

Ghosts do NOT exist excepted in imagination... period.

[Scourge of teh Galaxy]

Here's my perception of the facts.

Ghosts are the imprints someone close to you leaves on your mind. It's fine if they're there, but if they're not, you start to long for them. That longing creates a part of your mind/soul/imagination which you perceive as them.

I do something almost the same as this, except I do it as a defence mechanism and I use my emotions to create imaginary friends based on anime characters (I am insane, dude).

So, basically, what I'm saying is ghosts are imaginary friends of your deceased kin.




And, on the debate: I have a terrible fear of death. To be more precise, the pain involved in death. It terrifies me to the core. I'd rather die naturally.

But I won't be stuck on life support just to keep living. No, sir, because that is just SCARY.

If I was in that man's position, I would've let myself die. Ops are too painful - mentally more than physically.

[JoeBlo]

death itself kinda scares me a little

I mean if there is no after life what happens to you ? its not like your sitting in a coffen with your eyes closed.. you cant think of anything, see, do, feel at all your just cut off??

I dont know if Im thinking into this to hard but its just a concept I can properly think of ?? just not exsisiting

seriously think about it hard enough.. its harder then you think to pull your head around it.. what happens to you.. form your point of view

[Scourge of teh Galaxy]

i know what'll happen to me if I die of old age.

I'll've withdrawn into myself so much that life will be the same as death.

The place where you're happiest.

It's a dreamworld, imo.

[Naryar]

Ops ? Are you talking about surgery ?

i know what'll happen to me if I die of old age.

I'll've withdrawn into myself so much that life will be the same as death.

The place where you're happiest.

It's a dreamworld, imo.

...That is really weird reasoning...

[Scourge of teh Galaxy]

But I am weird, Sir Naryar.

It's the way I think ^^;

[d-lark]

A fear of death is nor irrational, nor can I say is it completely rational. Death is the one final, the one absolute, It could happen to me seconds after I hit reply, it may not happen for the next 80 years. A fear of death is irrational simply because it cannot be avoided, it is a truth. Its rational because it is scary it is final no one comes back from death. I would like to say that if I knew I was going to die in the next 2 minutes I would die happy, that is not true, there is too much I haven't done, too much I want to do and experience before I leave. Ive often wondered if Old people die simply because they have done everything they wish to do, and its time for them to leave, they even know they are going.

On ghosts, maybe maybe not, I haven't ever had any sort of unexplained thing happen to me leading me to believe they are not true.

[G.K.]

That is a very nicely put input d-lark.

[Larrain]

That is a very nicely put input d-lark.

Yeah.

I don't fear of death either. But like Scourge said, I fear of the pain involved in death, if there is any.

I also fear of falling from very high. I don't fear of spiders, dark, ghosts, or etc, but falling.
I sometimes look at the roof of *thinks* a mall. If it's too high (2 floors over the one I'm in for example) I can't walk properly, because it's like I'm falling, but I'm not. I start walking like there was no floor where I put my foot over. Like fearing of tripping on nothing. Solution is to look somewhere else than the roof.

[d-lark]

gotta cliche' it but: A fear of falling is irrational, a fear of hard ground, now that my friend is rational.

Why would dieing hurt? (like unless you die violently or with a disease as all too many people do now) The worst hurt I can imagine from dieing is the pain of regret.

[Rolo]

Ghosts are very real. They just freeze and turn invisible when you look at them. They are visible when you turn your back on them, they can actually move.

Source:

[Reier]

Provide a photo of your uncle's ghosts and I'll open up to the possibility of ghosts existing. You will also gain worldwide fame as you'll be the first person to ever provide any legitimate evidence indicating that ghosts exist.

How would that prove it? Someone would just call Photoshop. Besides, your argument in simply the fallacy of proof by lack of evidence. AKA You can't prove you saw your uncle, therefore you didn't. While I highly doubt Sparks saw his dead uncle, he could just as easily say 'Prove I didn't see him', and that would leave anyone stumped because you can't prove something doesn't exist.


BTW, I'm going to respond to your response back a few pages back. Maybe tomorrow. No offense, but it was kind of easy to refute. :S

[frezal]

How would that prove it? Someone would just call Photoshop.

I would analyse the hell out of the photo, but it would at least be some evidence. If I saw no sign of tampering, I'd begin to consider his claims as being valid (though more intensive tests would be required before I could fully believe).
 

Besides, your argument in simply the fallacy of proof by lack of evidence. AKA You can't prove you saw your uncle, therefore you didn't. While I highly doubt Sparks saw his dead uncle, he could just as easily say 'Prove I didn't see him', and that would leave anyone stumped because you can't prove something doesn't exist.

Problem: the burden of proof isn't on me. The burden of proof is on those asserting the claim. The claim being asserted is that ghosts exist. Sparkles's evidence is that he sees his uncle. I've provided alternate theories that don't rely on the supernatural as a counter. Since this alternate theories haven't been ruled out, it isn't logical to say that ghosts exist. You can remain agnostic, if you wish, but I prefer to not open up until there is some real evidence. My stance on ghosts is the same as my stance on the Loch Ness Monster: unless somebody can convincingly tell me how it can exist and then provide evidence showing that it does exist, I see no reason to assume that it does.

[frezal]

Ghosts are very real. They just freeze and turn invisible when you look at them. They are visible when you turn your back on them, they can actually move.

Source:

Apology for the double post, but I think Rolo deserves some sort of medal for his post.

[Resetti's Replicas]

Ghosts are very real. They just freeze and turn invisible when you look at them. They are visible when you turn your back on them, they can actually move.

Source:

RRRRRT!!! RRRRRT !!!!!!!  You know what that is?  That's my zinger alarm.

Also I built Predator, so I guess the "before I die" thing is a real motivator.  I should start using it more often.

[Jack Daniels]

I prefer to not open up until there is some real evidence. My stance on ghosts is the same as my stance on the Loch Ness Monster: unless somebody can convincingly tell me how it can exist and then provide evidence showing that it does exist, I see no reason to assume that it does.

Do you employ this mindset toward things that you feel are fantastical or in general?  When you think about it... every last perception that each human being has can be traced back to a beginning where it was experienced first. 

I am going to go out on a limb here and call this "the cheeseburger theory"

Sometime, long ago, a person created a cheeseburger.  He/she ate it and said: "Wow, this is really good. I must tell the people how terrific a cheeseburger is."  That person might have told hundreds of people and some of them said: "Cheeseburger? Bah! Never seen one, nor have I ever heard how good they are before. I don't trust you and I wont try your cheeseburger."  However, over time, word spread and eventually mankind warmed up to this cheeseburger.  Eventually, culture reached a point where everyone (one way or another) had tried a cheeseburger and could develop a general concept opinion of it.  But the initial exposure to it had to start from somewhere.

Now, really, a cheeseburger is a far cry from a ghost.  But the deterring basis of your disbelief is that you have not been proven solidly that they exist.  By your own experience or by word of mouth from somebody that you respect enough to forge your opinions based on their experiences (somebody close).  I suppose, also, that a cheeseburger is a more solid thing that could be easily experienced by choice vs ghosts which (to our knowledge) have never been available for us to experience willingly and regularly. 

I suppose that is the line that draws the sides... objective vs subjective experience.  One can experience the visit of a ghost, but we seemingly do not have the power to share that experience with others in a solid way.  A cheeseburger? take a bite and share it with your bud! It's damn good.

This also came to mind:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave

[frezal]

Do you employ this mindset toward things that you feel are fantastical or in general?

In general. To save screen real estate, I have removed the rest of your post from the quote, but wish to still address it. With the invention of the cheeseburger, people at first may have said, "I don't know. It doesn't sound very tasty." But the inventor could easily give the skeptics a taste and either prove or disprove the worthiness of his new food. If those who assert the existence of ghosts can "give me a taste" of them, my stance will likely change. To date, nobody has ever "given a taste" of ghosts.