**** people i want to see some oldskool extinct animals

I don't affiliate with any religion, so take this as you will... In my opinion, our "soul" - or the thing we identify as our soul - is nothing more than stored energy. When we die our energy is dissipated into the atmosphere; so, for me, I guess the afterlife is simply our energy being converted to new forms, dispersed out. We can feed our soul by building up our potential... And when we've used it up our "lifeforce" feels drained - lifeforce, life.force, force-->doing work... energy.

I know, I know- not as cool as shaking hands with Jesus on a cloud.

Our energy doesn't simply dissipate into the atmosphere. I mean, some will as we lose heat to the environment post mortem, but most of it is of course tied up in our bodies in the shape of proteins, fat and so on. You either have to wait for the worms to do their job or make sure you're cremated.

You say we are energy, that the self is energy. I don't think that's exactly true either, it's just we need energy to work - to think basically. If you turn the power off on your computer, it still has the files and stuff on it. It just can't process them, delete or write any new ones. If a person is dead, he or she is turned off and can't process information .. But if that person is recussitated, switched back on - unless the brain is too damaged and can't be accessed, the self is still there.

Some animals like certain insects and springtails can be frozen solid for years and there's almost nothing going on in their cells and they can function perfectly well if they survive thawing.


I mean, there are certainly viewpoints from which you can argue very logically that we are energy - for example the whole "matter vs. energy", two sides of the same coin and so on. But if you say that who you are dissipate when you're dead, I don't think that's what you're getting at. I think it's more correct to say that dying turns you off. Then the you becomes inaccessible from brain death and disintegrates when the cells and their contents break down or are consumed by whatever - fire or animals for example.

Well, that's sort of what I was trying to convey. I didn't mean to come across as saying we are energy. I believe that our soul is basically what energy we possess. We are matter which requires energy. Real spiritual, eh?

This soul is not simply removed in a flash - like a ghost leaving the body - but, as you describe it, it leaves in a variety of forms over time.

For me the cool thing is the idea of conservation of energy, such that this "lifeforce" doesn't just go up in the air and vanish... It is absorbed in the soil, etc. Sort of makes me feel at one with the Earth, and those around me.

Yeah, I agree :) I still remember how fascinated I was many years ago when I first learned about how many of the elements that make up our bodies today were formed inside stars. I don't believe in souls of course, so life itself is extremely fascinating - that billions upon billions of atoms can be organized with such a complexity that they take on sentience and can ponder their own existence and the meaning of it all.

I think religion cheapens the "miracle" of life. ;)

Hmm... it's hard to pick only three, there are so many historical figures I'd like to meet, but I'll give it a shot:

Al-Jazari—Brilliant Arab inventor, scientist, scholar and artist from the middle ages. His inventions—which include the camshaft, the crankshaft, various water-raising devices and the a bunch of amazingly complex clocks—are fascinating to me and I'd love to meet the guy who came up with them.

Benjamin Franklin—Like Al-Jazari, he was also a polymath, and one of the great thinkers in American history. The fact that he grew up where I grew up (Boston) and eventually settled where I have settled (Philadelphia) makes me feel kind of a connection to him beyond the fact that I think he was simply an interesting person.

Hatshepsut—One of the most powerful women of the ancient world and one of the most successful and longest reigning pharaohs of Egypt. She dressed in drag, built one hell of a mortuary temple, died mysteriously, and left an incredible puzzle as to the identity of her mummified body, what's not to like?

It's thoughts like these that make my eyes glaze over as my mind has trouble wrapping itself around the notion... I sort of lay back and have a 'David After Dentist' moment: "Is this real life?"

Then you are looking for a Greek inventor, Hero of Alexandria. :/

isn't she the pharaoh where after her death they tried to deface everything with her on it to basically erase her from history?

Strummer - Because I idolize him and he seemed like such a chill dude in his older age.

Hitler - As stated before, hearing his first hand account would be pure verbal gold.

Martin Luther - Probably one of the most inspiring figures in the history of religion.