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00:00 Death comes to us all, but isn't it about time that we knew more about it?
00:06 In the modern world, we still have faith and religion to shape what we believe, but we
00:11 also have increasingly in-depth scientific theories on what will really take place.
00:18 In this video, we'll be approaching it from all angles, in search of a higher understanding.
00:25 This is Unveiled, and today we're answering the extraordinary question; What happens after
00:31 you die?
00:34 Do you need the big questions answered?
00:37 Are you constantly curious?
00:39 Then why not subscribe to Unveiled for more clips like this one, and ring the bell for
00:44 more thought-provoking content.
00:50 Everything lives, everything dies, and the world keeps on turning.
00:55 That's the general idea, anyway, right?
00:57 Well, yes, except that we humans have an innate and ancient tendency to imagine that this
01:03 life isn't all there is.
01:05 That there's something else beyond this mortal coil, some other place to which we're all
01:10 headed.
01:19 The concept of life after death can be debated from three main angles; faith, science, and
01:25 technology.
01:26 In terms of faith and theology, some refer to heaven and hell, everlasting paradise,
01:32 or reincarnation.
01:33 Then, there are various more scientific and academic approaches pertaining to the preservation
01:38 of consciousness.
01:39 And, finally, there are the more technological answers; imagining a future time when life
01:44 can be saved and digitalized via machine.
01:48 Through the lens of faith, today's question is really an irrelevant one.
01:51 Of course life after death is possible, if you believe strongly enough.
01:55 With science and technology, though, the answer isn't quite so straightforward.
01:59 The tricky matter of consciousness is key.
02:02 It's something which has long puzzled the world's foremost thinkers, philosophers,
02:07 and scientists.
02:08 What is it?
02:09 Where is it located?
02:11 And what happens to it when our physical bodies are no more?
02:15 Rene Descartes is usually billed as the flag-bearer for the modern debate, thanks to his belief
02:19 that our consciousness is the only thing we can actually be truly certain of.
02:24 The basis of his often-quoted 17th century mantra, "I think, therefore I am".
02:30 Fast forward to the 21st century, however, and the debate is still in full swing.
02:35 In 2015, Oliver Berkman, writing for The Guardian, asked why the world's greatest minds still
02:41 couldn't solve the mystery of consciousness.
02:43 In his article, he referred back to a mid-90s science conference when one David Chalmers
02:49 referred to the issue of consciousness as "the hard problem" - a term which eventually
02:53 inspired a 2015 play by Sir Tom Stoppard.
02:57 For Chalmers, when it comes to the brain, there are many easy problems and one hard
03:02 one.
03:03 The easy problems are things like "how do our senses work?" and "how do we remember
03:08 stuff?"
03:09 In reality, these questions actually aren't all that simple to answer, but they're still
03:13 a breeze compared to the hard problem, which for Chalmers is "how do all those other problems
03:19 amount to experience?"
03:21 How is it that yes, we see colours, feel pain, hear the waves crashing on the rocks at night…
03:27 but crucially, are left with a sense of being irrespective of all of that?
03:32 But what does this scientific, philosophical quandary have to do with the question at the
03:36 top of today's video?
03:38 Is life after death possible?
03:40 Well, for as long as science cannot absolutely align consciousness with a physical, material
03:44 thing - with a specific part of the brain, for example - there's an argument that it
03:48 doesn't need our bodies or brains to carry on.
03:52 And then there are any number of things it could do post-body and post-brain, all of
03:57 which amount to some form of afterlife.
04:00 This is just one interpretation, though.
04:02 For many, the expectation is that we will one day be able to definitely say that consciousness
04:07 is the product of the human body, and probably of the human brain.
04:11 We will one day be able to solve Chalmers' "hard problem", at which point we might
04:16 try to encapsulate consciousness, prolong it, or create an artificial version of it
04:21 to potentially live forever.
04:24 But at that hypothetical future stage, we could very well confidently claim that life
04:28 after death is possible.
04:30 What's interesting, though, is that according to one study, we might've already measured
04:35 it.
04:36 In 2014, the AWARE study - an acronym for "Awareness During Resuscitation" - was
04:41 published by a team from Southampton University in the UK.
04:45 It charted the apparently conscious experiences had by those who had survived a cardiac arrest,
04:51 in between the time of clinical death and their heart restarting - a period when their
04:56 consciousness should've shut down.
04:58 For almost half of the heart attack survivors, results suggested that there was some level
05:03 of awareness post-death.
05:05 They could see or hear what was going on around them, or they built memories of it, or even
05:10 suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder linked to it.
05:13 In all cases, to some degree, it could be said that the patients were alive after dying.
05:19 But still, the widely held expectation is that even if death is like this - even if
05:24 there is a between time when a dying person is conscious of their fate - then it should
05:29 only last for a few minutes.
05:31 At which point, the hard problem of consciousness regains its mysterious hold, and the apparent
05:36 afterlife ends.
05:38 It's this window between life and death, then, that science and technology most wants
05:42 to open up.
05:43 If there is any moment at which a person's essence of life remains, even when their physical
05:48 body does not, then growing numbers of people want to bottle that moment up.
05:52 It may sound like a sci-fi writer's dream dystopia, but in the modern world we are trying
05:57 to relocate consciousness out of organic bodies and into more reliable, less perishable ones.
06:04 But before we do this, we need a watertight understanding of what it is we're trying
06:09 to move.
06:10 The race is on to map the human brain.
06:13 So far, we've made big steps in the right direction.
06:16 In July 2019, news broke that scientists had managed to complete the connectome of a tiny
06:22 species of worm.
06:24 A connectome is essentially a brain map.
06:27 It details every single neural connection inside a brain.
06:31 And the 2019 news represented the first time we'd fully completed the connectome of any
06:36 organism.
06:37 Now, the structure of worm brains is something we can confidently say we know about.
06:41 And it's something we could potentially recreate over and over again.
06:45 The jump from worm to human brain is clearly a considerable one, but these early successes
06:50 prove that it will one day be possible.
06:53 And at a future time, when we can map not only the human brain in general, but also
06:57 specific brains from person to person, we could end up with effective blueprints for
07:02 every human being.
07:03 The personalities, individual traits and even consciousness of everyone… translated into
07:09 data.
07:10 But where would we go from here?
07:12 It's one thing to have the maps and diagrams of a brain to pore over and work from, but
07:17 it's another thing to go ahead and build it.
07:19 And even if we could, would this ever truly constitute as life after death?
07:24 Is, say, a recreation of your brain and consciousness inside an android of the future really the
07:29 same thing as your brain as it is right now?
07:33 If science heads in this direction, then very quickly these will be the sorts of ethical
07:37 questions that the world would be facing.
07:39 Thankfully, before any of those future problems arise, however, our quest to preserve life
07:44 even after death is likely to yield a number of other positive discoveries.
07:48 The Human Connectome Project is arguably one of the most forward-thinking and ambitious
07:53 initiatives on the planet today, as it represents the biggest effort we've made so far to
07:58 map the human brain.
08:00 It's a joint project linking a number of the world's best universities and hospitals…
08:05 and its primary goal actually isn't life after death.
08:08 It's just that understanding the potential for life after death could be an offshoot
08:12 of the study.
08:13 In the meantime, it aims to get to grips with all manner of neurological conditions and
08:18 brain disorders, ranging from depression to psychosis to Alzheimer's disease.
08:23 The general idea is that once we've gotten to grips with our brains, it's possible
08:27 that the entire human race could benefit.
08:29 So, the answer is threefold.
08:31 The afterlives we're told about via various religions and alternate world views rely on
08:36 faith.
08:37 And, for as long as you have faith, then whichever afterlife you subscribe to is deemed possible.
08:42 Many scientists among us are more interested in the nature of consciousness, though, and
08:47 in deciphering once and for all why, in some cases, it appears to extend until after we
08:52 die, creating to some degree a life after death once more.
08:56 But finally, for the technologists in our mists, life after death will surely be possible
09:02 in the future.
09:03 All we need to do is successfully map the human brain, tweak our connectomes so that
09:07 they can apply to everyone, and then design some sort of digital android world in which
09:12 to house them all.
09:14 Which camp do you fall into?
09:16 Do you view the afterlife as a concept to believe in, a science to master, or a tech
09:21 breakthrough waiting to happen?
09:26 What happens after we die?
09:28 It's a big question, and the most popular answer is that we go to heaven, and that heaven
09:32 is pure paradise.
09:34 Think of it as the best, most agreeable, most enjoyable place you can imagine, and that's
09:38 what we're dealing with here.
09:40 Everything is good, nothing goes wrong, and it all goes on for eternity.
09:45 But how can that be?
09:55 We're not debating whether heaven does or doesn't exist.
09:58 We're not especially concerned with the form it takes if it does exist, either.
10:02 And we're not about to tell you how to get there.
10:05 We have covered most of these topics in other videos, though, so be sure to check them out
10:08 after this.
10:09 But for today, we're more simply imagining that heaven is a place where people go after
10:14 they die.
10:15 For every one person in this life, there's the possibility of one more soul or spirit
10:19 or consciousness in heaven.
10:21 We know that, broadly speaking, the promise of an afterlife provides comfort, guidance
10:25 and focus to millions on Earth.
10:28 But statistically speaking, it triggers a bit of a headache.
10:32 First of all, who gets in?
10:33 There's potentially a huge population issue.
10:36 If we take just the modern human as even having a chance of entry into heaven, we're casting
10:41 our net up to 300,000 years back across history.
10:45 Even the most conservative estimates claim that around 100 billion people have lived
10:49 on Earth during this time.
10:51 That means that even if only half of everyone who's ever lived gets into heaven, there's
10:55 around 50 billion people there.
10:58 Say the figure is more like 80%.
11:00 That's 80 billion souls, all in one place.
11:03 When you imagine paradise, do you see 80 billion people?
11:06 Or would you rather it be a little quieter?
11:09 Consider, too, that the population of heaven will have started to spike in recent years,
11:13 in line with the fairly spectacular figures we've seen down here on Earth.
11:17 In the year 1800, the global population was around one billion.
11:22 By 1900, it had grown to about 1.6 billion.
11:25 By 1950, it was 2.5 billion.
11:28 And then the figure truly took off, so that by the year 2000 it was more than six billion,
11:34 and today we're speeding ever closer toward the eight billion people mark.
11:38 The effects of this recent, rapid change are continually debated and analysed by experts
11:43 in the modern world, but in heaven the effects are pretty simple.
11:47 There are more people than ever, and they need to make way for more people still, at
11:51 an increasing rate, every single year.
11:54 In 1950, there were 50 million annual deaths in the global population.
11:59 Today it's up to 58 million.
12:01 A relatively small increase, you might say.
12:03 But projections by Our World in Data say that by the year 2050, we could be past the 90
12:09 million deaths per annum.
12:11 Whoever is keeping the books in the afterlife, then, is about to see their workload skyrocket.
12:16 And again it could be argued that this doesn't tally with the stereotypical image of heaven
12:21 being a peaceful and harmonious place.
12:23 Really, it's less bliss and more bustle.
12:26 Less serene and more, well, stressful.
12:29 But perhaps we shouldn't get too bogged down by the numbers.
12:33 Heaven, after all, is endless and eternal, so it's a good bet that it can handle any
12:37 number of occupants.
12:38 Indeed, the more the merrier, because a busy heaven means that less souls will have wound
12:43 up in that dark, miserable and fiery other place - hell, or the underworld.
12:49 So, let's imagine that you're a soul departed from this mortal plane, but your ticket into
12:55 heaven is stamped and verified.
12:57 It's a little louder than you might've anticipated, yes, but otherwise it's all
13:01 good.
13:02 Now, to find your friends, family and loved ones.
13:06 But here lies another potential pitfall of how heaven would actually work.
13:10 What if one of those people you had been expecting to meet up with actually isn't there?
13:16 Or perhaps, even worse, what if it's impossible to recognise them in amongst the celestial,
13:21 angelic crowd?
13:23 And we're dealing with a broad version of heaven in this video.
13:26 There are no set rules for getting in, but we know that there are variations of these
13:30 rules between religions and belief systems on Earth.
13:34 Thereby, in some instances, you might be permitted entry via one religion but denied by another.
13:40 And so, your fate hangs in the balance until such point as it's revealed to you which
13:45 rules were the right ones.
13:47 That is, until such point as you've died.
13:50 What happens, then, if for whatever reason your "best friend" doesn't get in?
13:55 It would be bad enough for them, naturally, but also terrible for you, because you'd
14:00 be facing eternity without someone who's important to you.
14:03 So, how could heaven ever be that enjoyable under these circumstances?
14:07 There's also the issue of perfection.
14:11 Many versions of heaven include that those inhabiting it are either already perfect souls…
14:16 or they've elevated to become perfect souls.
14:18 But, could this state of invariable perfection actually cause more harm than good?
14:24 Mightn't it take away individual traits and personalities, for example?
14:28 And for anywhere to ever be considered truly perfect, would this mean that even the concept
14:32 of hell will have had to have vanished, too?
14:35 Universal salvation is one way around that last question, wherein everyone is saved and
14:40 sent to heaven regardless of their earthly deeds.
14:43 God reconciles with all, and everyone ends up happy.
14:46 But, with such complete happiness already in the bag, one question asked by sceptics
14:51 of heaven is; what would motivate the souls that inhabit it?
14:55 What would inspire them, or even please them?
14:58 And as a result, would they even need such ties as friendships and family?
15:03 Amongst some of the harshest criticisms levelled at the idea of heaven is that, according to
15:08 some, it might not even be possible to employ free will there… because that would risk
15:13 imperfection.
15:15 And so, can a place where free will doesn't exist ever really be that great?
15:19 And all of this is before we've considered whether it's only humans that get into heaven.
15:24 Is there also a place for pets, for example?
15:26 If there isn't, then wouldn't it be imperfect from the outset, from a pet owner's point
15:30 of view?
15:31 And why stop at just domesticated cats and dogs?
15:34 Say you're a naturalist and you've dedicated your living years to saving pandas.
15:39 If there aren't any pandas in heaven, then wouldn't you be a bit… disappointed?
15:43 Or say you've spent your life as an explorer, passionate about the Arctic Circle.
15:48 If you were asked, you'd probably like heaven to have polar bears, rough seas, and extremely
15:52 cold temperatures.
15:54 But none of those descriptors really fit the bill for what we're usually told heaven
15:57 will be like.
15:58 Again, there's argument that all eternal bliss would really achieve is stripping us
16:03 of what makes us… us.
16:06 But there's also the problem of physicality, here.
16:09 Across almost all versions of heaven, we accept that we'll be inescapably leaving our physical
16:14 bodies behind.
16:15 So, even in an afterlife where free will does still exist, and we are still motivated and
16:21 capable of seeking out loved ones, there are no hugs to give them.
16:26 There are no hands to hold.
16:28 And there isn't a conversation to be had, in a physical sense, without mouths, vocal
16:32 cords, lungs, etc, to make it happen.
16:34 Even if your pet dog does get into heaven, you can't pet it.
16:38 And if heaven is like the Arctic Circle, then you can't feel it.
16:42 According to some versions, feasting is a big part of the afterlife.
16:46 But eating and drinking would surely be difficult, too.
16:49 Finally, imagine that you have a favourite tree in this world, and fortunately for you,
16:54 it does get replanted in the ever after.
16:57 Unfortunately, you'll never be able to climb it, sit by it, or potentially even see it…
17:03 but still, in theory, the leaves would grow forever.
17:06 And that's arguably the final, faintly frightening aspect of heaven.
17:10 It's said to be forever.
17:12 Eternity is really impossible for us mere humans to get our heads around.
17:16 So much so, that even eternal bliss is daunting to some.
17:21 Even an alternate, physical domain with free will comes with the caveat that this will
17:25 never, ever change.
17:27 It's a whole new, wholly alien level of existence for us.
17:31 A place where everyone is universally satisfied.
17:34 And while for believers that's reason enough to accept that it'll be fantastic, for sceptics
17:39 it's difficult to buy into.
17:45 There are plenty of theories and beliefs about the existence of an afterlife.
17:50 From reincarnation back into this reality, to angelic depictions of a literal heaven
17:54 complete with pearly gates.
17:56 Or a literal hell, complete with fire and brimstone.
18:00 But not all versions of life after death are quite so… colourful.
18:13 Eternal Oblivion Theory We can probably all agree that it appears
18:16 at first to be quite an ominous turn of phrase… but interesting, nonetheless.
18:21 And according to some, it's integral to understanding our place in the universe.
18:26 Broadly speaking, it's the conceptual idea that our consciousness ends completely at
18:30 the point of brain death.
18:32 While many religions and worldviews promote ideas to support the transportation of our
18:36 current consciousness to another plane of existence after we pass, Eternal Oblivion
18:40 Theory says that no such thing happens.
18:42 While the afterlife serves as a cornerstone to various faiths, and as a source of comfort
18:47 for millions of followers, here it's unapologetically denied.
18:51 So, what's going on instead?
18:53 In 2017, the humanist writer David Nyos posted an article on Psychology Today titled "Oblivion
18:59 Isn't Really So Bad".
19:01 In it, he expands on the Eternal Oblivion Theory, presenting it as something not to
19:05 be feared, but to be reasoned with.
19:07 An alternate end-of-life story that he feels stands up to scrutiny.
19:11 Nyos compares the supposed non-existence post-death to the similarly oblivious state we're all
19:16 in pre-birth… something he says he, quote, "didn't find at all dissatisfying".
19:21 And this is a common argument among all Eternal Oblivion theorists.
19:24 We came from nothing, we go to nothing, and there's nothing we can do about it.
19:29 Thanks in part to our growing scientific grasp of what happens after we die, Eternal Oblivion
19:34 is now increasingly pondered by a variety of people.
19:37 Perhaps unsurprisingly by atheists and agnostics, yes, but also by some theists.
19:42 By those with some degree of religious or spiritual belief.
19:46 The idea of the mind and consciousness being dependent on the working brain, for example,
19:50 has more advocates now than ever before.
19:53 Science is increasingly confident that consciousness can't exist in the long-term without a brain
19:57 to house it.
19:58 So, what happens after brain death?
20:01 Or, more precisely for today's question, what could we ever realise was happening?
20:05 For Eternal Oblivion theorists, the answer is nothing.
20:09 And the nothingness is so complete that even the concept of eternity doesn't register.
20:13 It's a dark theory, in more ways than one, but it also isn't a new one.
20:18 So, let's scale back.
20:19 The famous Greek philosopher Socrates was a religious sceptic who mused about the Eternal
20:24 Oblivion theory more than 2,400 years ago.
20:28 Many of his philosophical positions weren't exactly welcomed at the time of his living.
20:32 And ultimately he was sentenced to death for impiety and for corrupting Greek minds in
20:37 the year 399 BC.
20:39 His ideas on death, however, were specifically captured by his friend Plato… and eventually
20:44 published in Plato's Apology, wherein it's recorded that Socrates wondered what might
20:48 happen to him after his death sentence was carried out.
20:52 He's said to have surmised two main options; the first being that his soul would move from
20:56 one plane to another, to a place where he might discuss philosophy with some of Greece's
21:01 past heroes.
21:02 An afterlife, if you will.
21:03 The alternative, though, was essentially Eternal Oblivion, which Socrates pictured as a deep
21:08 and dreamless sleep with a complete lack of awareness.
21:11 Importantly, in Plato's account, that second possibility doesn't seem to have bothered
21:16 Socrates too much.
21:17 True, he would be missing the opportunity to talk to his heroes, but he'd never have
21:21 a chance to feel bad about that.
21:23 Socrates, it seemed, generally thought that the prospect of a dreamless sleep should be
21:28 held as a comforting thing for us while we're alive.
21:31 That it amounts to a place where the mind ceases to exist, but also where there isn't
21:35 any sort of recognition of that fate - or suffering because of it.
21:39 And that's an idea that has remained throughout the ages.
21:42 The naturalist Tom Clark also wrote about the Eternal Oblivion theory in a 1994 article
21:47 titled "Death, Nothingness and Subjectivity".
21:50 In it, Clark presents the idea of oblivion as being totally inexperienceable from our
21:55 point of view - a stance not too far removed from Socrates' thousands of years beforehand.
22:01 Clark suggests that this non-experience, from our point of view, should mean that we needn't
22:05 subject ourselves to the fear or worry that the seeming eternity of death creates.
22:10 He further muses that even the term "nothingness", that we so often apply to the time after death,
22:15 is problematic.
22:17 Because it imbues nothing with a quality, which then makes it something.
22:21 Which then implies that our consciousness would have to in some way endure it, when
22:25 really it never will.
22:27 For another example of the problem, this time from pop culture, there's a moment in the
22:31 1984 fantasy movie "The NeverEnding Story" when the characters are trying to describe
22:36 an evil force called "the nothing", when one suggests it's a "hole", prompting
22:40 another to remark that, quote, "a hole would be something.
22:43 This is nothing".
22:45 The NeverEnding Story wasn't necessarily entirely concerned with eternal oblivion…
22:49 but we can see some crossover.
22:51 And we can see how, even if we're not acutely aware of it, there's a sense of existential
22:56 dread that continually plays on the human mind.
22:59 Because in our brains, through our consciousness, we tend to align nothingness with suffering.
23:04 But that's not the conclusion of the eternal oblivion theory.
23:07 Instead, it seeks to make real the concept of nothing; to take away the mystique, and
23:12 to give meaning to something that's otherwise very abstract and difficult for us to understand.
23:17 David Nyos' comparison to a pre-birth state is one way to look at things… but, more
23:22 generally, it's argued that the chief reason humans fear nothingness is because we're
23:26 incapable of processing it apart from our present minds and consciousness.
23:30 It's extremely hard for us to consider what happens after we die, and not to feel anxiety,
23:35 loss, or the ultimate feeling of missing out on something.
23:38 But with eternal oblivion, we don't miss out on anything and we don't suffer.
23:43 Because, well, it's more than impossible for us to do that.
23:46 The conditions for any of that to happen just… aren't there.
23:50 Other scientists and public figures who have spoken in favour of the eternal oblivion theory
23:54 include the physicist Sean Carroll and the psychologist Steven Pinker, both of whom have
23:59 highlighted the lack of scientific evidence that life or awareness can continue after
24:03 death.
24:04 In this way, death might feasibly be rephrased as being a total unconsciousness; as something
24:10 final from which we, all of us, will never return.
24:13 Except, again, with eternal oblivion, we couldn't describe death as being something, because
24:18 it's not something.
24:19 We just are, and then we aren't.
24:21 Crucially, life - and consciousness - goes on from the point of view of anybody that
24:26 isn't, or wasn't ourselves after we've died.
24:29 This is something that Tom Clark in particular points out in his paper.
24:33 But personal life after death is something that no eternal oblivion theorist would ever
24:37 subscribe to.
24:39 And for most advocates of this way of thinking, that's no bad thing.
24:42 They'd typically critique all other afterlife suggestions as being empty, unsubstantiated
24:47 promises.
24:48 And, to go even further, many question whether the concept of bliss in the afterlife is even
24:53 possible when it implies that we still possess consciousness there.
24:57 An eternal oblivion theorist might say, for example, that if there isn't oblivion, and
25:02 paradise does exist, then how would we feel if one of our loved ones wasn't there?
25:07 In that scenario, we'd have pain and worry and suffering even if the afterlife is real.
25:12 Why would we want that?
25:13 And how could it ever be a paradise?
25:15 It's something of an existential Catch-22.
25:17 Ultimately, it's an unfortunate trait of the human condition that most of us are scared
25:23 to die.
25:24 And for many of us, much of the fear is about what is or isn't waiting for us at the end.
25:29 According to various terror management theories, most of what we do in this life is in some
25:34 way linked to a continual need to find comfort against the thought of death.
25:38 And really, even the eternal oblivion theory amounts to exactly that; a bid to process
25:43 the unprocessable, to describe the indescribable, and to predict the seemingly unpredictable.
25:49 A favourite quote among humanists - and particularly eternal oblivion theorists - comes from another
25:54 Greek philosopher, Epicurus, who was born around forty years after Socrates died.
25:59 He too didn't shy away from contemplating death, most famously saying, quote, "If
26:04 I am, then death is not.
26:06 And if death is, then I am not."
26:08 It's perhaps the simplest way of approaching eternal oblivion.
26:11 It's not a mode of thought that everyone will like or believe in… but it does encourage
26:16 us all to appreciate the present.
26:18 To value the life that we're living right now.
26:20 Because, when death comes, the ultimate transformation is at hand.
26:24 You are, and then you are not.
26:31 Humans are naturally afraid of the unknown.
26:33 Often, when we think of the dark depths of the ocean, or the deep vastness of space,
26:38 we feel an indescribable sense of unease.
26:41 A fear of concepts that lie beyond.
26:44 But nothing is shrouded in quite as much mystery, morbid intrigue or existential terror as what
26:50 happens after we die.
27:01 If there's one question in the history of the world that humanity most wants an answer
27:05 to, it's this one; what happens after we die?
27:08 The problem of death is one that humans have contemplated for thousands of years… and
27:13 we've never really gotten close to solving it.
27:16 Modern science continually enables us to delay death just a little while longer, and average
27:20 life expectancy has increased.
27:23 But the ultimate end still inevitably comes one way or another.
27:27 And then what?
27:28 Most religions offer ideas about what comes after this life, including heaven and hell,
27:33 incarnation, or some other type of spirit world.
27:36 Meanwhile, there are increasing numbers of science and future tech initiatives aiming
27:41 to build an afterlife before we get there… including various plans to upload human consciousness
27:46 onto digital drives, where it exists for all time.
27:49 That's the hope, anyway.
27:51 No matter what faith you do or don't subscribe to, though, no matter which speculative technology
27:56 you most believe will actually be invented, it's clear that the thought of death affects
28:00 us in profound ways.
28:02 And throughout our lives, we're guided by how and why and where it might end.
28:07 Terror management theory posits that so much of what we do in life amounts to us trying
28:12 to manage our subconscious concerns about dying.
28:15 The general idea says that the main reason we build (or don't build) relationships
28:19 with other people, for example, or the reason why we follow religions, seek fame, or assume
28:23 any number of cultural identities, is because we're trying to make ourselves feel better
28:28 about our own impermanence.
28:29 We're trying to build something that's bigger than our own mortal selves.
28:33 Because actually everyone, whether they realise it or not, is worried about the fact that
28:38 they won't be here forever.
28:39 Immediately, all of this subconscious anxiety disappears were we to prove an afterlife.
28:45 Now, this life wouldn't be all there is, so there'd be much less pressure to try
28:49 and preserve it.
28:50 Or to create something that lasts longer than we can.
28:53 Any irrefutable evidence that life after death exists would then have a massive effect on
28:58 people's personalities, on their morals, on the human character as a whole… but for
29:03 better or worse?
29:05 One perhaps surprising improvement could be less prejudice.
29:09 Concerningly, research shows that by simply reminding an individual of their own mortality,
29:14 you can cause them to become more biased, prejudiced and even aggressive… as part
29:19 of a kind of in-built, misguided defence mechanism that humans have.
29:23 One experiment in America, for example, showed that even judges can be swayed in this way…
29:28 with it being found that when reminded of their mortality before sentencing, they're
29:32 more likely to give harsher punishments.
29:34 We can say that even the justice system itself, then, is shaped by the spectre of death.
29:39 And we can see how the thought of death can provoke from within us a deep-rooted kickback…
29:43 which could then lead to social problems ranging from unfairness to intolerance to perhaps
29:48 even violence.
29:49 But, if we knew that death wasn't the end, then none of those things need happen.
29:53 There are other ways that our subconscious fear of death shapes how we feel and behave,
29:58 too.
29:59 Accounts of near-death experiences have increasingly interested scientists and psychologists in
30:03 recent years.
30:05 Reports often include an aspect of "life flashing before eyes", a phenomenon also
30:09 known as a "life review", where people claim to not only witness their past actions,
30:14 but also to see how those actions affected others.
30:17 If this particular part of an NDE is something that we all will ultimately experience, then
30:21 we're all set to spend our final moments self-evaluating; coming to terms with everything
30:26 we did or didn't do.
30:28 And given that so many who come back from an NDE pledge to lead a better life from that
30:32 point forward, it seems that we more often than not judge ourselves as having behaved
30:36 poorly.
30:37 The prospect of death prompts us to doubt what we've done in our lives.
30:41 It's possible, then, that proving an afterlife would lift a number of subconscious issues
30:46 from our minds; alleviating pressure and ridding us of mental ties we might not even realise
30:50 we have.
30:52 Because this life would no longer be everything, our terror-management impulses couldn't
30:56 run amok anymore, perhaps resulting in a fairer and more generous human race.
31:01 But also, because we'd know there was a second chance waiting for us, we might be
31:05 able to cut ourselves some slack and avoid deep-rooted feelings that we were living our
31:09 lives incorrectly.
31:11 Perhaps everyone would be imbued as standard with the do-good mentality of a near-death
31:15 experience, and we wouldn't have to see the error of our ways in order to change.
31:20 Or perhaps that's just wishful thinking.
31:22 One counter-argument says that the promise of a life after this one would mean that people
31:27 would actually value this one far less.
31:29 And that's not a good thing.
31:31 Suddenly, the consequences of anything you do on Earth matter very little, because really
31:35 this existence is just a stepping-stone into the future.
31:39 At its best, this interpretation leads to reckless abandon; people doing what they want,
31:44 when they want, because who cares?
31:46 You're guaranteed a "try again after all of this is over", anyway.
31:49 At its worst, though, it leads to selfishness and cruelty.
31:53 With every cruel act now diluted by the human psyche, because everyone is scarily safe in
31:58 the knowledge that nothing matters in this life so long as there's another one on its
32:02 way.
32:03 Naturally, so much of this hypothetical rests on what form our confirmed afterlife would
32:07 take.
32:08 Is it heaven and hell?
32:10 Is it reincarnation?
32:11 Do we all become ghosts, or is it nothing like what we expected?
32:15 Is there a god waiting for us when we arrive, or isn't there?
32:18 And if there is, what type of god?
32:20 Meanwhile, there are any number of scientific theories which could serve to shape our understanding,
32:25 too.
32:26 The US computer scientist Brian Ellman, for example, theorises that the afterlife is merely
32:31 our last moments before death played on repeat; a dreamlike state he calls "natural eternal
32:36 consciousness".
32:37 So, is that all we'd have proven?
32:39 Needless to say, the particulars of life after death would completely reshape society on
32:44 Earth.
32:45 Things could quickly disappear, with only those which most closely predicted the real
32:49 world afterlife retaining any followers.
32:52 Science would head in all new directions, too, as the revelation would go against many
32:56 - and most - mainstream scientific theories.
33:00 Physicists in particular would have a hard time trying to explain it in logical terms.
33:04 If there's a good place and a bad place, a heaven and hell, then one offshoot could
33:08 be an afterlife industry, built on products and schemes to get people where they most
33:13 wanted to be.
33:14 We'd see companies monetising the path to the hereafter, because some people would try
33:18 to buy their way in - products on shelves to better your chances of heaven; supposed
33:22 experts styling themselves as trusted gatekeepers between the here and there, guaranteeing you
33:27 safe passage or your money back.
33:30 In this incredible scenario, Earth could unfortunately descend like this; into a corrupt, insincere
33:35 and fraudulent realm, where everyone's striving to boost their afterlife potential; a chaotic
33:40 midway point on the road to a higher plane.
33:43 Or, if we assume that the better sides of humanity take hold, then a proven afterlife
33:47 could prompt us all to help others.
33:50 It could inspire equality, with everyone focused on the shared goal of enjoying this life and
33:55 preparing for the next one.
33:56 What do you think would most likely happen?
33:58 Ruthless one-upmanship or altruistic harmony?
34:02 According to the psychologist Stephen Rees, writing in 2016, one main reason why many
34:06 religions offer an afterlife in the first place is to help us to find tranquility in
34:11 this life.
34:12 For terror management theorists, it's more simply about us stating off death anxiety
34:16 until the moment comes.
34:17 But, would life after death really make the here and now more tranquil?
34:21 Would you worry less, or just worry differently?
34:24 Because the questions wouldn't stop there.
34:26 For one, if there's a life after this one, then what comes after that?
34:30 And would the afterlife also be proof of immortality?
34:33 Proof that whatever we did on Earth or beyond we'd know about it forever?
34:37 Do these ideas dampen our fears, or intensify them?
34:40 It's an existential headache from here on out.
34:43 What's your verdict on life and death?
34:47 Do projects like the AWARE study reveal all there is to know?
34:51 Is heaven really a place that we should want to end up in?
34:55 Or does the eternal oblivion theory actually offer more in terms of comfort?
35:01 And finally, what do you think would happen if we ever did prove life after death?
35:06 [MUSIC]
35:33 For now, we at least have our lives on Earth to enjoy, to experience, to learn from, and
35:40 to remember.
35:41 But, for that unknowable time hopefully long into the future, those are some ideas on what
35:49 might happen when our lives run out.
35:54 What do you think?
35:55 Is there anything we missed?
35:56 Let us know in the comments.
35:58 Check out these other clips from Unveiled, and make sure you subscribe and ring the bell
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