# Why are we afraid of death?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [May 23, 2010, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433 "2010-05-23T03:39:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 5
### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/81 "2010-05-28T21:37:29Z")
> [@lekatt](#):
>
> A work in progress? That really means we don’t know. You have only theories that are untestable, nothing more. And knowing the video wasn’t real doesn’t excuse the cruelty it shows. It’s abhorrent.
I’m not an expert in affective neuroscience, but if you are going to claim that a field of study like affective neuroscience, which is over 100 years old, is fraudulent you need a good deal of evidence to back that claim up. It is a work in progress because the brain is complex and we cannot currently create rich emotions at will in a safe, effective manner. However the concept that emotions come from the limbic system in the mammalian brain is non-controversial at this point. Animals that lack this neural hardware do not have the kinds of emotional lives that we do.
---
### Author:  [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2010, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/82 "2010-05-28T21:41:05Z")
> [@Perciful](#):
>
> I’m sure that they will try and say it’s CO2 or brain death but I think it is the soul leaving the body at death. When I was drowning after I stopped fighting I had the peace come over me. I was laying on the ocean bottom looking up at the light filtering through the water and I started to see my childhood friends and my parents flash before me and then someone pulled me out and I had no pain until then.
>
> Pure love and light make it a lot less scary.
It’s CO2 or brain death!
😃
There appear to be two ways of looking at death that avoids the fear response, which (probably not coincidenally) both involve a certainty about what happens after. I can certainly understand finding security in a certain belief that you’re headed for a non-hell afterlife. I’m curious what those who can believe this think about the other fearless position - having a certainty that life ends at death, and feeling no fear at the thought of non-existence. Is this position understandable to you?
---
### Author:  [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2010, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/83 "2010-05-28T22:21:26Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#):
>
> I’m not an expert in affective neuroscience, but if you are going to claim that a field of study like affective neuroscience, which is over 100 years old, is fraudulent you need a good deal of evidence to back that claim up. It is a work in progress because the brain is complex and we cannot currently create rich emotions at will in a safe, effective manner. However the concept that emotions come from the limbic system in the mammalian brain is non-controversial at this point. Animals that lack this neural hardware do not have the kinds of emotional lives that we do.
Animals do not lack emotions, they feel the same as we do. I have cared for animals all my life, mostly cats. If you tell a vet. that animals lack emotions they will tell you different. As for the brain, some believe the brain creates consciousness but current research shows evidence that this is not true. Science is working with theory, I am working with experience, and knowledge, and research that proves the consciousness is a separate entity from the brain. I have already posted the reseach and I will be happy to discuss animal emotions with you in another thread.
---
### Author:  [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/84 "2010-05-28T22:23:48Z")
> [@begbert2](#):
>
> It’s CO2 or brain death!
>
> 😃
>
> There appear to be two ways of looking at death that avoids the fear response, which (probably not coincidenally) both involve a certainty about what happens after. I can certainly understand finding security in a certain belief that you’re headed for a non-hell afterlife. I’m curious what those who can believe this think about the other fearless position - having a certainty that life ends at death, and feeling no fear at the thought of non-existence. Is this position understandable to you?
I can’t help you there, my experience taught me life continues after death, with nothing to fear for everyone. So I have no conception of non-existence.
---
### Author:  [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/85 "2010-05-28T22:25:08Z")
> [@Perciful](#):
>
> Thanks Lekatt,
>
> Interesting article! My Grandmother coded so many times and told me it was so beautiful and to never be afraid of death. She said the hardest part was having to go back down the tunnel into her body. I asked her what it felt like while she was dead and she said it felt like pure love. She said for her it was like the first time they laid her newborn baby on her chest and she got to see him for the first time. That overwhelming feeling of pure love.
>
> She was so unafraid she put in a DMR order and died the next time her heart stopped. I was happy knowing she was going where she wanted to be. I’m sure that they will try and say it’s CO2 or brain death but I think it is the soul leaving the body at death. When I was drowning after I stopped fighting I had the peace come over me. I was laying on the ocean bottom looking up at the light filtering through the water and I started to see my childhood friends and my parents flash before me and then someone pulled me out and I had no pain until then.
>
> Pure love and light make it a lot less scary.
Exactly, love and light take all the fear away, forever.
---
### Author:  [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)
#### Post date: [May 28, 2010, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/86 "2010-05-28T22:39:16Z")
> [@lekatt](#):
>
> I can’t help you there, my experience taught me life continues after death, with nothing to fear for everyone. So I have no conception of non-existence.
The tooth fairy - has existence?
Regardless, at the moment I’m not asking you to disbelieve in your god or whatever it is that you believe in that gives you certainty in your future. I’m asking if you can _imagine_ how a person might _not_ fear the idea of non-existence, if they believed in such a thing.
---
### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [May 29, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/87 "2010-05-29T00:06:49Z")
> [@lekatt](#):
>
> Animals do not lack emotions, they feel the same as we do. I have cared for animals all my life, mostly cats. If you tell a vet. that animals lack emotions they will tell you different. As for the brain, some believe the brain creates consciousness but current research shows evidence that this is not true. Science is working with theory, I am working with experience, and knowledge, and research that proves the consciousness is a separate entity from the brain. I have already posted the reseach and I will be happy to discuss animal emotions with you in another thread.
Define animals. Cats are mammals so yeah they have emotions. However for animals outside the class of mammals or who do not have limbic systems I don’t think people are sure.
---
### Author:  [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)
#### Post date: [May 29, 2010, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/88 "2010-05-29T02:01:09Z")
> [@begbert2](#):
>
> The tooth fairy - has existence?
>
> Regardless, at the moment I’m not asking you to disbelieve in your god or whatever it is that you believe in that gives you certainty in your future. I’m asking if you can _imagine_ how a person might _not_ fear the idea of non-existence, if they believed in such a thing.
I don’t have a belief, I have a knowing through experience. Now I can’t imagine how a person might not fear the idea of non-existance. If they are a materialist, one who believes only in material things, then they get attached to material things. Most don’t want the world to stop for them. They would have to give up what they loved the most. I can imagine a materialist that is depressed, suicidal, and hates themselves and their life not to fear, but desire death. I am looking forward to crossing over, but have no desire to hurry the process. So the answer is no, I can’t imagine a happy materialist not fearing death and the loss of everything he cares for. When I die I will be with all the people I have loved during my life, but the materialist will lose all that, so why would he not fear death.
A lot of materialists have told me they wished there was an afterlife, but they are convinced it doesn’t exist and somehow that displeases them.
A lot of materialists are former theists, who have been taught to fear God, Satan, hell, etc., and they become materialists to assuage the fear, by saying there is no God and no afterlife. I think if they really knew through experience as others have had they would no longer be materialists. But that is just my opinion, I can’t know what individuals think about anything.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [May 29, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/89 "2010-05-29T02:06:31Z")
> [@lekatt](#):
>
> I don’t have a belief, I have a knowing through experience.
Would that be the bad dream you recounted on your website? I’m not sure that counts, but I guess different people define “knowing” in different ways. To each his own.
---
### Author:  [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/90 "2010-05-30T11:18:01Z")
Just found a new link to Media stories and documents on death and dying.
Just thought you might enjoy it.
[http://ndeinfo.worldispnetwork.com/#NDEmovies](http://ndeinfo.worldispnetwork.com/#NDEmovies)
---
### Author:  [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2010, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/91 "2010-05-30T12:38:46Z")
It seems to me that if one really was dead, then their brain would be dead and would register no thoughts or memories. I once had my heart stop while having a test done in the hospital, and I didn’t know it until I was out of the anesthetic and they told me to see my heart doctor.
I do not fear death, but I do not want to die,because I feel life is worth living, and the purpose of being born was to live as well and long as I could, and helping others, and my family makes it worth the while.
There are people who commit suicide that fear life’s pains more than death!
---
### Author:  [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2010, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/92 "2010-05-30T19:23:32Z")
> [@monavis](#):
>
> It seems to me that if one really was dead, then their brain would be dead and would register no thoughts or memories. I once had my heart stop while having a test done in the hospital, and I didn’t know it until I was out of the anesthetic and they told me to see my heart doctor.
>
> I do not fear death, but I do not want to die,because I feel life is worth living, and the purpose of being born was to live as well and long as I could, and helping others, and my family makes it worth the while.
>
> There are people who commit suicide that fear life’s pains more than death!
You don’t really need your brain to be alive. You do need your brain and body to live in the physical world, but not the spiritual world. Helping others is good, a reason/purpose for living. Committing suicide doesn’t end life, nor does it end emotional/mental pain. Knowledge does end pain, knowledge and love.
---
### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [May 30, 2010, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/93 "2010-05-30T22:40:10Z")
> [@lekatt](#):
>
> You don’t really need your brain to be alive. You do need your brain and body to live in the physical world, but not the spiritual world. Helping others is good, a reason/purpose for living. Committing suicide doesn’t end life, nor does it end emotional/mental pain. Knowledge does end pain, knowledge and love.
Cite(other than a recounting of your dream)?
---
### Author:  [@Rolken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rolken)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2010, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/94 "2010-05-31T11:30:21Z")
I’m always confused by how incomprehensible some people find the idea of a cessation of consciousness. Ever had a dreamless sleep, or general anesthesia? Okay, now you’re in that state forever. Boom, that’s death.
For quite some time I was afraid of sleep because the experience seemed so similar to how I imagined death.
---
### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2010, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/95 "2010-05-31T12:24:30Z")
> [@lekatt](#):
>
> Just found a new link to Media stories and documents on death and dying.
>
> Just thought you might enjoy it.
>
> [http://ndeinfo.worldispnetwork.com/#NDEmovies](http://ndeinfo.worldispnetwork.com/#NDEmovies)
Puil Donahue and Geraldo?!?
No-no more anecdotes. What we would “enjoy” are cites that contain actual double-blind scientific studies. The terms “double-blind” and “scientific study” have already been explained to you repeatedly over the years, so I’m not going to do it yet again.
---
### Author:  [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2010, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/96 "2010-05-31T12:37:35Z")
I’m terrified of dying and think that I’ve spent a good part of my life subconciously trying to “immunise” myself against this fear by putting myself in situations where its more likely to happen.
(Didn’t work though)
Its an irrational fear because
(A) Its inevitable
(B)I wont actually know anything about it because I won’t exist.
A bit like some people being afraid of spiders I suppose.
---
### Author:  [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/97 "2010-05-31T18:03:47Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> Puil Donahue and Geraldo?!?
> No-no more anecdotes. What we would “enjoy” are cites that contain actual double-blind scientific studies. The terms “double-blind” and “scientific study” have already been explained to you repeatedly over the years, so I’m not going to do it yet again.
For which I am eternally grateful.
---
### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2010, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/98 "2010-05-31T18:07:07Z")
> [@lekatt](#):
>
> For which I am eternally grateful.
Then could you please give us a cite supporting your position that contains such a scientific study?
---
### Author:  [@lekatt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lekatt)
#### Post date: [May 31, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/99 "2010-05-31T18:14:49Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#):
>
> I’m terrified of dying and think that I’ve spent a good part of my life subconciously trying to “immunise” myself against this fear by putting myself in situations where its more likely to happen.
> (Didn’t work though)
>
> Its an irrational fear because
>
> (A) Its inevitable
>
> (B)I wont actually know anything about it because I won’t exist.
>
> A bit like some people being afraid of spiders I suppose.
Ok. Let me ask you some questions. Did you go to church when you were a child. Did you hear about the dangers of hell fire if you didn’t do good. Were you taught you were a sinner and unworthy of God’s love without believing certain church doctrine on salvation.
Now the reason I ask is people are not inherently afraid, they are usually taught to be afraid by others. Children are not afraid of spider or snakes, but are taught to be. So if the questions are yes, then you maybe still carrying the fear of your youth around with you, even though you may think this fear irrational.
There are ways to overcome fear, even irrational ones. It is done by examination and confrontation.
---
### Author:  [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)
#### Post date: [June 1, 2010, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-afraid-of-death/540433/100 "2010-06-01T10:33:27Z")
> [@lekatt](#):
>
> Ok. Let me ask you some questions. Did you go to church when you were a child. Did you hear about the dangers of hell fire if you didn’t do good. Were you taught you were a sinner and unworthy of God’s love without believing certain church doctrine on salvation.
> .
>
> Now the reason I ask is people are not inherently afraid, they are usually taught to be afraid by others. Children are not afraid of spider or snakes, but are taught to be. So if the questions are yes, then you maybe still carrying the fear of your youth around with you, even though you may think this fear irrational.
>
> There are ways to overcome fear, even irrational ones. It is done by examination and confrontation.
No we don’t have hellfire preachers in the U.K. plus I didn’t believe in god as a kid.
I think that the thought that there was an afterlife would make me LESS afraid of dying.
I believe that fear of death is an inherent survival trait.
Otherwise even as children we’d wander under the nearest bus or over any cliffs in the vicinity without being concerned.
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