Mike, the "we" is the human race. By "our intelligence", I didn't mean that it's intelligent to believe in god. I meant that our self-consciousness, our ability to abstract and to understand concepts like "I", forever, infinity, means that we are able to understand (unlike mice, say) that, when we die, the "I" will cease to exist, and will never exist again.
As human beings, we can't stand the thought of that. Everywhere in the world, in all societies, in all times, people have invented stories to ward off this fate - stories about one God, or many gods, and after-lives. If you personally don't fear death, you are lucky, but most do, I would say. I don't think it's arrogance that makes people believe they can live forever. I think it's fear, and an inability to absorb the end of the Self. The end of the Self and the end of everything - eternal nothingness. You know the solipsist saying: "when I die, the world dies." This sounds very arrogant, but really it just means: when I die, everything ceases to exist, for me. And that thought is terrifying for many people. As an atheist, I believe we cease to exist when we stop breathing. Sarah At 12:33 PM +0100 01/11/2003, mike pritchard wrote: >who are you speaking for here Sarah? I'm confused. > > >> Ironically, it's our intelligence that draws us to religious belief.<< > >Or draws us away from it, in m(an)y case(s). > > >> We can't stand the thought that when we die, we won't exist for >all infinity.<< > >Who is this 'we'? The idea that I won't exist for all eternity >doesn't bother me in the slightest. Are we so arrogant that we >believe we can live forever? And as an atheist what do you >personally think will happen to you when you stop breathing?
