56. Fear Of Ceasing To Be

The lie that exalts us is dearer than a thousand sober truths. 

Alexander Pushkin 

The fear that death is the terminus of individual existence motivates a wide range of ideationally inconsistent models. These include the belief that humans are a separate creation from the rest of life — not least because it is very easy to believe that other organisms, such as fish, grass and bacteria do not proceed to a new life after death.

This fear is especially evident in models of mind and consciousness that are largely consistent with older concepts such as soul and spirit. On the one hand, mind and consciousness are used to demarcate a dividing line between humans and other species. On the other hand, by modelling mind and consciousness as things, it is possible to model them as composed of an immaterial substance which is not subject to material death.

This fear is understandably deep, since animals with a high value for self-preservation are more likely to survive and reproduce than animals without. Natural selection would favour any genes whose expression contributed to such a basic value, and the value has been a powerful selector of the types of models that have evolved from prehistoric times.

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The Fear of Death and Its Influence on Human Models

The lie that exalts us is dearer than a thousand sober truths. (Alexander Pushkin)

The fear that death marks the terminus of individual existence has given rise to a wide range of ideationally inconsistent models. One of the most enduring of these is the belief that humans are a separate creation from the rest of life. This belief is particularly persuasive because it is easy to accept that organisms like fish, grass, and bacteria do not proceed to some form of new life after death, while humans might.

This fear is especially prevalent in models of mind and consciousness that align with older concepts such as the soul and spirit. On one hand, mind and consciousness are often invoked to demarcate a line between humans and other species. On the other hand, by modelling these phenomena as things or substances, it becomes possible to argue that they are composed of an immaterial substance that is not subject to material death.

The depth of this fear is understandable. Organisms with a strong value for self-preservation are more likely to survive and reproduce than those without such a drive. Natural selection favours genes whose expression contributes to this fundamental value, and this drive for self-preservation has been a powerful selector of the types of models of humanity that have evolved, from prehistoric times to the present day.