Many people say they have had a near death experience and have seen life after death. Scientists would say that this is impossible, the brain would just be firing off random synapses and that is what the person is experiencing during their near death experience. Others would say that there is an afterlife, because that is what their faith tells them. So which point of view is the correct one? This topic can be argued for many, many years. In fact, this topic has been around for hundreds of years, philosophers that have lived hundreds of years ago have talked about if there is an afterlife or not. Three philosophers in particular have different views of the subject, Epicurus, Rene Descartes, and Immanuel Kant. These philosophers’ points of view will be explored, as well as my own view, about the subject.
Epicurus is a materialist, which means he believes that everything that is real is made up of matter. He believes that matter is made up of atoms and the void. Since everything is made of matter Epicurus believes that the soul is a firey, airy body, because we need to breath to live and when we die out bodies become cold to the touch. Epicurus says when we die our souls also no longer exist. That is why he says we should not fear death, because there is no judgment from a divine that could punish us. We are just simply gone, but others do believe that this calls for some fear. They think not existing anymore is scary, because no one just wants to be gone; the mere thought of it causes fear.
Epicurus says that it is human nature to seek pleasure and to avoid pain. He brings up the example of how a baby will seek out food, toys, etcetera and avoid things that could hurt it. Epicurus believes that this is how someone can achieve happiness. If you have pleasurable things in your life and you avoid pain, you’re probably happy with how things are going.
Now Epicurus would say that it is impossible to experience any type of afterlife. Again he believes everything...