rationalskepticism.org

Weaver wrote:

darwin2 wrote:

Weaver wrote:How do you assess the probability of your suggested techniques?

How do you know, for example, that rushing through demons will "probably" cause them to disappear, rather than give you a headache and a pissed off demon? How do you know that visualizing a peaceful place "will probably" cause you to instantly be in that place?

Read my post correctly. I never said I know. I would not use the word "probably" If I knew that as a fact. I am expressing an opinion and not a fact.

Actually, I did read it correctly ... though you are expressing opinions in many places, once you get to your scientific method analysis, you state that various things will "probably" occur. This is a value judgment whereby you assess one potential outcome to be more likely than another. I want to know how you arrived at the values for your judgment.

As far as assessing the probability of my suggested techniques, the probability at this point in time based on the scientific evidence available is that there is a 50% chance of consciousness ceasing at death and a 50% chance that consciousness continues after death. If I find myself conscious after death, I will use the Scientific Method to explore this after-death reality I find myself in and i believe the Scientific Method will lead me to the truth whatever the truth turns out to be.

Please provide the scientific evidence that the likelihood of consciousness continuing after death - after REAL death, not "clinical death" which is an alive brain in a body with a stopped heart - is 50%/50%. That is a huge probability for a very, very unlikely event - I and others would really love to see the evidence you have.

I use the term "probably" because I don't have any scientific evidence to prove they will occur. But if consciousness does continue after death, I would have to assume this could be a scary experience for an atheist who believed that consciousness ceases at the death of the physical body. I have known atheists to be very logical people and I assume that once they find themselves in an after death environment, they will use their critical thinking skills to explore this new reality. In this lifetime, we humans have the ability to do critical thinking to arrive at facts about our world. If consciousness continues after death, I find it unlikely we will lose this precious gift and that is why I use this term "probably."

In addressing the question does death end consciousness or does consciousness continue after death, I stated that there is a 50% chance it does and a 50% chance it doesn't. You state that the survival of consciousness is a very very unlikely event and this statement is very unscientific because you have no evidence to prove it is very very unlikely. The most you can conclude is that there is a 50% chance it is unlikely. At this point in time, my statement that there is a 50% chance consciousness continues after death and a 50% chance it doesn't is more realistic. And that is the most science can say at this time on this issue. Now as to what form consciousness will take if it survives death, I have no idea what that may be. So why speculate on it? If we survive death we will know. If death ends it all, it is a moot issue.