Why do people fear death?

When it's all said and done, from burning alive to simply going in your sleep, you'll be dead. No trauma or memories, nothing to hold onto. It's over, done, mission accomplished. Yet people fear it so much. Why?

I dont fear death if its in my sleep, i welcome it. Its just the whole afterlife thing, thats the only thing that stops me.

Because the thought of eternal nothingness is scary.

Because it's impossible to conceive of. The nature of consciousness is cognition, and when you try to conceive of a lack of cognition it just becomes frustrating. It's completely unkown and unknowable, and that frustrates the conscious mind.

This is a great question. To me, fear of death isn't natural, it's something we've learned. We've learned to fear death. But why is death so terrifying? It's simply the next step in the biological process. Nothing terrifying about that.Nicksonman

Fearing death is part of what seperates us from the animals (or lesser ones). It's what keeps most of us from doing really stupid, life threatening things.

Fearing death is part of what seperates us from the animals (or lesser ones). It's what keeps most of us from doing really stupid, life threatening things.

Pirate700

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

Fearing death is part of what seperates us from the animals (or lesser ones). It's what keeps most of us from doing really stupid, life threatening things.

Engrish_Major

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

Fearing death is part of what seperates us from the animals (or lesser ones). It's what keeps most of us from doing really stupid, life threatening things.

Engrish_Major

Lemmings.

Fearing death is part of what seperates us from the animals (or lesser ones). It's what keeps most of us from doing really stupid, life threatening things.

Pirate700

When I first made this thread I figured most people would be fearful of the method of death. It looks like more are more concerned about the end result. Even from my religious perspective, when I try to attempt to imagine an eternity in heaven, the whole infinity problem sort of loops through my head and forces me to stop thinking about it. I don't understand how it works or what it will be like.

I figured for those without religion that they would assume it's like eternal, dreamless sleep. You're simply no longer existing, not conscious in any way.

[QUOTE="Engrish_Major"][QUOTE="Pirate700"]

Fearing death is part of what seperates us from the animals (or lesser ones). It's what keeps most of us from doing really stupid, life threatening things.

Ilovegames1992

Lemmings.

[QUOTE="Ilovegames1992"]

[QUOTE="Engrish_Major"] What animals don't fear death (or at least the things that cause death)?Nibroc420

Lemmings.

Was jokes innit.

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

Fearing death is part of what seperates us from the animals (or lesser ones). It's what keeps most of us from doing really stupid, life threatening things.

Engrish_Major

[QUOTE="Nicksonman"]This is a great question. To me, fear of death isn't natural, it's something we've learned. We've learned to fear death. But why is death so terrifying? It's simply the next step in the biological process. Nothing terrifying about that.Engrish_Major

[QUOTE="Nicksonman"]This is a great question. To me, fear of death isn't natural, it's something we've learned. We've learned to fear death. But why is death so terrifying? It's simply the next step in the biological process. Nothing terrifying about that.Engrish_Major

None beyond us even know death exists to fear it.

Pirate700

Maybe animals do experience fear, cant say for definite if they do or not.

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

None beyond us even know death exists to fear it.

Engrish_Major

They don't fear death like we do though, they don't know how. Animals are all about the will to survive. Humans are too, except we take it one step further by thinking of death in terms of things like the unknown, the end, being 6 foot under, funerals, disconnecting with loved ones, decomposing body, plus more. Humans have attached so many negative connotations to death that it's hard to not be terrified when we think of it. Nicksonman

They don't fear things that cause death. Animals have a survival instinct. Not a fear of death. If a raccoon is walking along the side of a cliff, it's not going to move away from the edge because it thinks it could fall to its death.

Pirate700

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

They don't fear things that cause death. Animals have a survival instinct. Not a fear of death. If a raccoon is walking along the side of a cliff, it's not going to move away from the edge because it thinks it could fall to its death.

Engrish_Major

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

They don't fear things that cause death. Animals have a survival instinct. Not a fear of death. If a raccoon is walking along the side of a cliff, it's not going to move away from the edge because it thinks it could fall to its death.

Engrish_Major

Fine but they don't do it because of fear of death itself. They do it to keep living. Animals, at least to our understanding, don't know death exists. They just know to try and stay alive.

Pirate700

There's a clear difference between the will to survive and fearing death. Animals aren't aware of their own mortality. They just have a will to survive. I think Pirate700 is the only one here who understands it the way I do.Nicksonman

There's a clear difference between the will to survive and fearing death. Animals aren't aware of their own mortality. They just have a will to survive. I think Pirate700 is the only one here who understands it the way I do.Nicksonman

[QUOTE="Nicksonman"]There's a clear difference between the will to survive and fearing death. Animals aren't aware of their own mortality. They just have a will to survive. I think Pirate700 is the only one here who understands it the way I do.Engrish_Major

I fear death because humanities only spawn point is located within women's wombs. Come on you noobs, capture some damn flags!

[QUOTE="Nicksonman"]There's a clear difference between the will to survive and fearing death. Animals aren't aware of their own mortality. They just have a will to survive. I think Pirate700 is the only one here who understands it the way I do.Pirate700

While I won't say I welcome death, I'm a bit more concerned with the dying part.

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

[QUOTE="Nicksonman"]There's a clear difference between the will to survive and fearing death. Animals aren't aware of their own mortality. They just have a will to survive. I think Pirate700 is the only one here who understands it the way I do.Engrish_Major

It's common knowledge? At least it is to as far as anyone can fully know.

Pirate700

[QUOTE="Engrish_Major"][QUOTE="Pirate700"]

They don't fear things that cause death. Animals have a survival instinct. Not a fear of death. If a raccoon is walking along the side of a cliff, it's not going to move away from the edge because it thinks it could fall to its death.

Pirate700

Elephants undergo death rituals. You can't really infer what animals think as there is no real way to test any of it. They do realize, though, when another animal dies, so it does seem they at least recognize the natural process of death, just not death as a concept.

[QUOTE="Nibroc420"] Oh, So you fear death, but not the things that cause death. Heck, water can cause death, you can drown on the smallest amount of water.Engrish_Major

Life is all that we have. Once it ends, we lose everything. Considering that I'm a fan of life's numerous offerings and merely being conscious, I would really hate for it to go away.

Right. As humans, we have the survival instinct AND a fear of death. If you were about to drown, you'd be fearing death and not just no longer living. An animal in danger only knows staying alive not what the result is if it doesn't.

Pirate700

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

[QUOTE="Nicksonman"]There's a clear difference between the will to survive and fearing death. Animals aren't aware of their own mortality. They just have a will to survive. I think Pirate700 is the only one here who understands it the way I do.Engrish_Major

Life is all that we have.Once it ends, we lose everything . Considering that I'm a fan of life's numerous offerings and merely being conscious, I would really hate for it to go away.

coolbeans90

[QUOTE="Pirate700"]

Right. As humans, we have the survival instinct AND a fear of death. If you were about to drown, you'd be fearing death and not just no longer living. An animal in danger only knows staying alive not what the result is if it doesn't.

Engrish_Major