In this episode, we talk about death with Tom Clark, a philosopher and the creator of Naturalism.org. Without a heaven (or hell), is there just an empty void awaiting us after our deaths? This is a mistake, says Tom. Rather, using thought experiments about the nature of consciousness, Tom suggests there is just more experience after our own deaths, though not *our* experience. We explore this idea, called Generic Subjective Continuity, and ask what its implications are for thinking about death, and ethics more generally. We also learn whether a True Naturalist can believe we’re just a brain in a vat being experimented on by a mad scientist.
In the bonus section, available exclusively to supporters on Patreon, we ask Tom for his thoughts on whether we live in a computer simulation (and if it would make a difference if we were). We also talk about free will and the idea of time as an illusion in a “block universe.”
Check out some of Tom’s articles:
Death, Nothingness, and Subjectivity:
https://www.naturalism.org/philosophy/death/death-nothingness-and-subjectivity Naturalism and Well-Being:
https://www.naturalism.org/worldview-naturalism/naturalism-and-well-being Nathan and Todd recently appeared on the Graceful Atheist podcast:
https://anchor.fm/gracefulatheist/episodes/Nathan-and-Todd-Beyond-Atheism-e1qmpe9 Follow Nathan on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/NathGAlexander Or on Mastodon:
https://zirk.us/@NathGAlexander
Nathan’s website:
https://www.nathangalexander.com/ If you find the podcast valuable and want to support it, check out our Patreon page, where you will also find bonus content:
https://www.patreon.com/beyond_atheism We are grateful for every contribution.
Beyond Atheism is produced and distributed by Atheists United Studios:
https://www.atheistsunited.org/podcasts
