Philosophy Now Forum

All fears are the fear of death, and any derivative can be linked back to the primary fear of death. Your thoughts?

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 3:58 pm All fears are the fear of death, and any derivative can be linked back to the primary fear of death. Your thoughts?

Sounds about right. One can fear losing wealth; however, traced back, it generally amounts to a fear that one's well-being is at risk, meaning they could more likely die from the circumstances of losing wealth than from not losing wealth, whether it's a realistic fear is a different matter.

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 3:58 pm All fears are the fear of death, and any derivative can be linked back to the primary fear of death. Your thoughts?

Unconditional Love which is Truth. Is the realisation that I have never taken birth in the first place, and that I am immortal.

Fear is the false idea that I am a separate self.

Gary Childress wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 4:13 pm

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 3:58 pm All fears are the fear of death, and any derivative can be linked back to the primary fear of death. Your thoughts?

Sounds about right. One can fear losing wealth; however, traced back, it generally amounts to a fear that one's well-being is at risk, meaning they could more likely die from the circumstances of losing wealth than from not losing wealth, whether it's a realistic fear is a different matter.

Hi Gary,

Sounds like we are on the same page here. I think it applies to all organisms.

Fairy wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 5:51 pm

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 3:58 pm All fears are the fear of death, and any derivative can be linked back to the primary fear of death. Your thoughts?

Unconditional Love which is Truth. Is the realisation that I have never taken birth in the first place, and that I am immortal.
Fear is the false idea that I am a separate self.

Unconditional love, is the truth of what? "Fear is the false idea that we are a separate self. That second one dives deep into the great mystery. I have a thread on the board that states you are not an individual; you might want to contribute.

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 3:58 pm All fears are the fear of death, and any derivative can be linked back to the primary fear of death. Your thoughts?

Based on what? That not all who are faced with great pain and suffering choose to end it?

I would suggest that those who choose suicide are fearing something more than they fer death.

Consider the Robert Service poem On the Wire

There are things that are worse than death. Pain and torture are to be feared. Being maimed or paralyzed is to be feared.

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 3:58 pm All fears are the fear of death, and any derivative can be linked back to the primary fear of death. Your thoughts?

To frame it as fear of the unknown/unfamiliar/uncomprehended seems more reasonable:
Fear of death belongs to the above.
Transphobia belongs to the above, but is a really awkward fit for fear of death.

As an aside, fear of the unknown/unfamiliar/uncomprehended also seems to be the crux for the irrationality of conservatives in general. For example: Fear of science, fear of social programs, fear of the LGBT community, fear of those from other cultures, fear of those from other races, etc. The list goes on and on.

commonsense wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 11:33 pm There are things that are worse than death. Pain and torture are to be feared. Being maimed or paralyzed is to be feared.

In these cases, and perhaps for us all, death is deliverance and an escape from a horrible reality. The fear of death can be overcome by courage and/or pain and death's inevitability, as a pattern that can no longer maintain itself, and it is ultimately given the gift of release. There is an overcoming that solidifies my point. All fear is the fear of death until it is overcome by suffering, pain, and resignation.

ThinkOfOne wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 11:53 pm

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 3:58 pm All fears are the fear of death, and any derivative can be linked back to the primary fear of death. Your thoughts?

To frame it as fear of the unknown/unfamiliar/uncomprehended seems more reasonable:
Fear of death belongs to the above.
Transphobia belongs to the above, but is a really awkward fit for fear of death.

As an aside, fear of the unknown/unfamiliar/uncomprehended also seems to be the crux for the irrationality of conservatives in general. For example: Fear of science, fear of social programs, fear of the LGBT community, fear of those from other cultures, fear of those from other races, etc. The list goes on and on.

They try to teach children to be irrational and not to fear the darkness, which is foolish, as darkness holds all the threats of death, in fact and imagination. Fear is in service to your survival, without which you would die young. The harsh reality that life lives upon life is hardwired knowledge in all creatures, and this is the fear of death. Public speaking is indirectly a fear of death, rejection by the group, and society has spelled death for eons.
You use the term fear very loosely until it means nothing; it is a violation of language.

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 13, 2025 12:16 am

ThinkOfOne wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 11:53 pm

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 3:58 pm All fears are the fear of death, and any derivative can be linked back to the primary fear of death. Your thoughts?

To frame it as fear of the unknown/unfamiliar/uncomprehended seems more reasonable:
Fear of death belongs to the above.
Transphobia belongs to the above, but is a really awkward fit for fear of death.

As an aside, fear of the unknown/unfamiliar/uncomprehended also seems to be the crux for the irrationality of conservatives in general. For example: Fear of science, fear of social programs, fear of the LGBT community, fear of those from other cultures, fear of those from other races, etc. The list goes on and on.

They try to teach children to be irrational and not to fear the darkness, which is foolish, as darkness holds all the threats of death, in fact and imagination. Fear is in service to your survival, without which you would die young. The harsh reality that life lives upon life is hardwired knowledge in all creatures, and this is the fear of death. Public speaking is indirectly a fear of death, rejection by the group, and society has spelled death for eons.
You use the term fear very loosely until it means nothing; it is a violation of language.

Make a well-reasoned case for transphobia being rooted in a fear of death.
Make a well-reasoned case for fear of critical race theory being rooted on a fear of death.

You use the term fear very loosely until it means nothing; it is a violation of language.

Make a well-reasoned case for the above assertion.

commonsense wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 11:33 pm There are things that are worse than death. Pain and torture are to be feared. Being maimed or paralyzed is to be feared.

Illness is the road to death, as is rejection of what you depend upon for your survival and well-being. Well-being is attractiveness and acceptance; the greater the assurance of survival and well-being. In old age, the fear of death is something to overcome, which many people manage as it creeps over them slowly and silently, and the world they knew dissolves before their eyes.

ThinkOfOne wrote: ↑Sat Sep 13, 2025 12:28 am

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 13, 2025 12:16 am

ThinkOfOne wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 11:53 pm

To frame it as fear of the unknown/unfamiliar/uncomprehended seems more reasonable:
Fear of death belongs to the above.
Transphobia belongs to the above, but is a really awkward fit for fear of death.

As an aside, fear of the unknown/unfamiliar/uncomprehended also seems to be the crux for the irrationality of conservatives in general. For example: Fear of science, fear of social programs, fear of the LGBT community, fear of those from other cultures, fear of those from other races, etc. The list goes on and on.

They try to teach children to be irrational and not to fear the darkness, which is foolish, as darkness holds all the threats of death, in fact and imagination. Fear is in service to your survival, without which you would die young. The harsh reality that life lives upon life is hardwired knowledge in all creatures, and this is the fear of death. Public speaking is indirectly a fear of death, rejection by the group, and society has spelled death for eons.
You use the term fear very loosely until it means nothing; it is a violation of language.

Make a well-reasoned case for transphobia being rooted in a fear of death.
Make a well-reasoned case for fear of critical race theory being rooted on a fear of death.

You use the term fear very loosely until it means nothing; it is a violation of language.

Make a well-reasoned case for the above assertion.

You suggest that anyone who disagrees with popular opinion, such as gay rights or any number of causes not all attributed to you, but it's a common practice to claim they are fears when it's just a difference of opinion. The overuse and misuse of the term hero ultimately rob it of its true meaning. Someone suffering from an unfortunate circumstance or illness is labeled a hero, but suffering does not make one a hero. Sorry if I wasn't subtle. I did not mean to offend. Think about it, though, it is something we can all fall into and do, and it clouds rationality and fragments meaningful discussions. Those who define themselves as victims will continue to misuse terms to strengthen their sense of victimhood. Whenever causes are being championed you will find this same misuse of terms, mostly unintentional by followers, not so by the leaders

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 13, 2025 12:01 am

commonsense wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 11:33 pm There are things that are worse than death. Pain and torture are to be feared. Being maimed or paralyzed is to be feared.

In these cases, and perhaps for us all, death is deliverance and an escape from a horrible reality. The fear of death can be overcome by courage and/or pain and death's inevitability, as a pattern that can no longer maintain itself, and it is ultimately given the gift of release. There is an overcoming that solidifies my point. All fear is the fear of death until it is overcome by suffering, pain, and resignation.

Which is another way of saying: some fears aren't of death.

LuckyR wrote: ↑Sat Sep 13, 2025 3:36 am

popeye1945 wrote: ↑Sat Sep 13, 2025 12:01 am

commonsense wrote: ↑Fri Sep 12, 2025 11:33 pm There are things that are worse than death. Pain and torture are to be feared. Being maimed or paralyzed is to be feared.

In these cases, and perhaps for us all, death is deliverance and an escape from a horrible reality. The fear of death can be overcome by courage and/or pain and death's inevitability, as a pattern that can no longer maintain itself, and it is ultimately given the gift of release. There is an overcoming that solidifies my point. All fear is the fear of death until it is overcome by suffering, pain, and resignation.

Which is another way of saying: some fears aren't of death.

Expand on that, please. Are you implying that resignation is somehow a greater fear? Please clarify.