Philosophy Now Forum

ALL humans are programmed by nature NOT to have a conscious fear of death at all times.

If would be useful for most to let the above point sink in.

All humans are programmed by nature [DNA-RNA] to establish a neural algorithm with inhibitors that prevent a normal person from being conscious of a fear of death.

That is why as a normal person, the majority do not have a conscious fear of death. If they ever, it would only be temporary.

If the above restraining inhibitors are weaken and the person have a persistent conscious fear death, then the person is recognized as mentally ill per DSM-V, i.e. suffering what is termed 'THANATOPHOBIA'.

If the conscious fear of death is not suppressed, humans will be paralyzed by this fear of death and not be able to be productive to sustain the preservation of the human species.

While the conscious fear of death is suppressed naturally in all humans [there are exceptions], there is an inherent algorithm of fear of death that is active within the subconscious mind.

The resultant of the subconscious fear of death is the manifestation of existential Angst, anxieties, sense of hopelessness, despairs, etc. within the conscious mind.
The majority of humans turned to religion to relieve the existential Angst.

Veritas Aequitas wrote: ↑Mon Nov 04, 2019 6:36 am
The resultant of the subconscious fear of death is the manifestation of existential Angst, anxieties, sense of hopelessness, despairs, etc. within the conscious mind.
The majority of humans turned to religion to relieve the existential Angst.

What if religion is what's causing their existential Angst? including anxieties, a sense of hopelessness, and despair. What if the idea of a religious God is the sole cause of all this conscious human disfunctional mental activity in the first place?

Why would a person turn to the very causer of their mental suffering to find relief?

What if the religious God idea is part of the whole problem with the normal functioning health of the human mind ? What if it is man himself that has invented this idea of a God in the first place, and what if s/he has done this for a specific reason, and that reason was to deliberately mess with the natural wirings of the human brain, a brain that is obviously capable of being so easily brainwashed into believing just about anything it's told via some simple words believed to be real. Notice that the human species have become very vulnerable to the sound of words and their apparent believed meanings. Just put it to the test and call your mother a scanky fucking fucktard and watch the reaction, you'll see that words are a force to be reckoned with right?

My point is, how is the brain supposed to know what's true and what's not true conceptually speaking? it doesn't, and yet words have become a force in and of themselves, albeit an artifical force. And that is the power of the believing brain, that only humans are are aware of. So who is the manipulator here? ...it's no coincidence that ''man'' is in the word manipulator is it?

Why is language and conceptual knowledge unique only to humans? and not any other living creature?

Do you not see how that uniqueness that is human self-awareness can easy be manipulated by the same human self-awareness for it's own self-serving egoic advantageous agendas?

Lets be intelligent here dude, you don't see the rest of nature queing up outside of medical centres in the hope of being cured of their mental anxieties, sense of hopelessness, and despairs, now do you?

So what the heck is going on here with the human animal? ...it doesn't take a genius to work that one out...go figure!!

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Veritas Aequitas wrote:
While the conscious fear of death is suppressed naturally in all humans [ there are exceptions ] there is an inherent algorithm
of fear of death that is active within the subconscious mind

The way to overcome fear of death is to simply accept it as a consequence of existence
Fear of something you are never actually going to experience is actually very irrational

I have no fear of death at all because I know that such a fear is entirely without justification
What is death anyway but simply a transformation from one state to another - from consciousness to non consciousness

surreptitious57 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 7:22 am

Veritas Aequitas wrote:
ALL humans are programmed by nature NOT to have a conscious fear of death at all times

Let the above point sink in
That is why as a normal person you do not have a conscious fear of death . If you ever did it would only be temporary

If the above restraining inhibitors are weaken and the person have a persistent conscious fear death then the person is
recognized as mentally ill per DSM V i e suffering what is term THANATOPHOBIA

What evidence do you have for the mental state of ALL humans at ALL times with regard to a conscious fear of death
You cannot make universal statements about something that cannot be measured independently
You therefore have absolutely no idea what the mental state of ALL humans at ALL times is

Psychologist and psychiatrists recognized THANATOPHOBIA, i.e. one who persistently fear death conscious and suffer because of it is a mental illness as in DSM-V.

One can infer from the above, all humans are inherently and naturally conditioned not to have a conscious fear of death persistently.
Otherwise if all humans are to be conscious of death persistently with severe anxieties, then, all humans has serious mental illness per DSM-V.

The evidence is almost everyone will confirm they do not have a serious issue of being having a conscious fear of death.
Isn't you who stated you do not have a fear of death, i.e. consciously.

Your argument also lacks consistency with regard to how you have presented it :

I ALL humans are programmed not to have a conscious fear of death at ALL times
2 A normal person could have a fear of death but it would only be temporary
3 Anyone who does have a persistent fear of death is therefore mentally ill

2 and 3 both contradict I which means either :

ALL humans are NOT programmed to have a fear of death at ALL times
The programme can be overridden if the fear of death actually exists

You missed out some premises, i.e.

1. ALL humans have an instinct to fear death at the subconscious level.
2. ALL normal humans are inherently condition [suppressed] not to have conscious fear of death. (note the difference between subconscious and conscious)
3. When the suppression in 2 is weakened due to some reasons, the normal person could have a conscious fear of death, e.g. when attending a funeral or visiting a morgue. But this is temporary.
4. Anyone who has a persist conscious fear of death in contrary to 2 is mentally ill.

What about those who are terminally ill or very old who therefore know that death is very close
They are obviously not programmed by nature not to have a conscious fear of death at all times
This demonstrates that this programme is therefore not absolutely effective for ALL human beings at ALL times or that there is no such programme

Those who are terminally ill or very old has the inherent subconscious fear of death and the a suppressed conscious fear of death.
As with old age a large % of neurons are atrophized and with illness the person constitution is weakened.
Therefore it is likely the suppression of the conscious fear of death is weakened and thus they will have a persistent conscious fear of death which is a mental illness and they will be treated accordingly with the appropriate medicines.

However there may be a % of those who are very old and terminally ill, but if their suppression of the conscious fear of death is still strong, then they will not be bothered with the conscious fear of death. There are many of such examples, e.g. those who has meditated for a long time, practice impulse control in this regards, e.g. Buddhist monks and other spiritualists, those who are very Stoic, etc.

surreptitious57 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 8:41 am

Veritas Aequitas wrote:
While the conscious fear of death is suppressed naturally in all humans [ there are exceptions ] there is an inherent algorithm
of fear of death that is active within the subconscious mind

The way to overcome fear of death is to simply accept it as a consequence of existence
Fear of something you are never actually going to experience is actually very irrational

I have no fear of death at all because I know that such a fear is entirely without justification
What is death anyway but simply a transformation from one state to another - from consciousness to non consciousness

As I have explained you don't have a conscious fear of death 'at all' is because you like all other humans are conditioned inherent with a natural suppression of the conscious fear of death.
It is from this suppression that you talk so easily about death and can give other reasons why you do not fear death.

However if a person were to suffer from Thanatophobia due to weakness of the suppression of the conscious fear of death, he would not be stating it like you do.

Veritas Aequitas wrote:
As I have explained you dont have a conscious fear of death at all is because you like all other humans are conditioned inherent with
a natural suppression of the conscious fear of death

I however have absolutely no problem in talking about death but many or most human beings do not do this unless they really have to
Those who do not like talking about it almost certainly have a subconscious fear of it otherwise they could talk about it quite openly

surreptitious57 wrote: ↑Tue Nov 05, 2019 9:55 am

Veritas Aequitas wrote:
As I have explained you dont have a conscious fear of death at all is because you like all other humans are conditioned inherent with
a natural suppression of the conscious fear of death

I however have absolutely no problem in talking about death but many or most human beings do not do this unless they really have to.

Agree.

Those who do not like talking about it almost certainly have a subconscious fear of it otherwise they could talk about it quite openly

All humans have an inherent subconscious fear of death.
This subconscious potential do not manifest as conscious fear of death because the conscious fear of death is suppressed.

However the subconscious potential of fear of death manifest indirectly as anxieties, despairs, Angst, etc. Where this Angst is sensitive, people will not want to talk about death because it will exacerbate the intensity of the Angst and related death anxieties.

However where the subconscious fear of death drives people to be theists, most theists may be able to talk of death without much anxieties because they are already assured of eternal life in heaven.
Some martyrs will even expedite their death on earth so that can get to paradise with eternal life [and virgins for some].