Straw Poll.

[Hetzer]

Be interesting to see what the BCF crew believe. This is a non-religious question, though if you believe it religiously that's fine. The existence or non-existence of god is irrelevant to the context though.
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"There's the horizon! Ride hard, ride fast and cut down all who stand in your way!"

[Nexus Icon]

Definitely not, IMO.

[neatbik]

I would like to believe so, and i have had a couple of very strange experiences that certainly lead me to not be completely against the idea.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Afraid not. Would be nice to be able to believe in it but I see nothing to suggest that there is a consciousness beyond the chemical reactions of the living brain.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Poseidon]

Nope.
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1977 Honda CG125
2002 Ducati Monster S4 (currently restoring)

[panrider_uk]

No.

Mark
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Current bikes: Honda ST1100 Pan European. Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel

[Nai]

Maybe. Me and the missus attended Buddhism nights for a while. I liked most of the concepts and believe Buddhism is awesome. I did however have a lot of trouble with the ideas of higher consciousness.

[Ste]

Human consciousness is a result of electrical impulses in the brain. Take away the electrical impulses and there's just a corpse.

[colin1]

I am not against the idea generally. I think it must be comforting to believe that dead loved ones are not gone and have just "moved into the next room".

However, the idea can be used to encourage misguided behaviour.
ie throw away your life in this life as you will be rewarded in the afterlife.

I have a bit of time for the philosophical idea, that the world as you perceive it only exists in your own mind, as if there is a reality (and I beleive there is), its slightly different and not as it is in your own mind.

I accept that something that cant be proven either way, is a matter of believe. However a philosophical idea called Occham's razor, says "the simplest explanation is usually the correct one".

To me the simplest idea is that we are the way we are due to evolution, and our thoughts are software and our brains are the computer. Turn off the computer, and there is not a backup somewhere in the universe, other than in the memories of other people.

You cant prove that's true any more than you can prove that we exist in some way other than in our bodies. However I'd take the simplest explanatione very time.

In the same way that psychologists use ink blots to reveal our attitude, in creating meaning where there is none, if there is no evidence for something, people's imagination will lead them in a way that reveals more about them than the world.

I'd also like to comment on Hetzers sig, which has recently become ""All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788 – 1860)"

Although all truth may pass through those stages, not everything that is ridiculed, or violently opposed, is accepted. And not everything which is ridiculed violently opposed and accepted is truth. The statement leads people to wrongly assume that something being ridiculed or violently opposed is truth. A carrot is a vegetable but not all vegetables are carrots.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Charlie]

I don't. Like others have said it would be nice to believe, makes the thought that you have know your love ones in previous lives plausible. Which in my eyes is a really nice idea, but I just can't believe it.
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Past: Honda x8rs, Honda City fly, Honda Hornet 250, Honda VFR750, Yamaha xt600e.
Current: Honda CBR929RR & Yamaha XT660Z Tenere

[Irn-Bru]

Nope. The thought of not being here is quite frightening though, always tends to pop into my head as I'm about to fall as asleep
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KTM 990 SMT & Suzuki DR-Z 400 SM

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

100bhp
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[Skudd]

Should that be " Straw Troll" ?
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Famous last words of Humpty Dumpty. " Stop pushing me "
Petty Anarchists look at "1984".............. The Visionary looks at "Animal Farm".

[colin1]

I dont think you could call it trolling as its seems to be something he genuinely believes in. Not something just to wind people up.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Skudd]

[Ste]

[Pete.]

A nice idea, handy for making scared people feel warm and fuzzy about death not being the end of all things.

Not for me - when your dead, all that's left is worm-fodder.
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a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[blurredman]

It's funny, to die peacefully in bed you may say is like falling asleep. However, if your brain is not functioning, how are you sleeping. I wonder what happens all the time.
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CBT: 12/06/10, Theory: 22/09/10, Module 1: 09/11/10, Module 2: 19/01/11
Past: 1991 Honda CG125BR-J, 1992 (1980) Honda XL125S, 1996 Kawasaki GPZ500S, 1979 MZ TS150.
Current: 1973 MZ ES250/2 - 18k, 1979 Suzuki TS185ER - 10k, 1981 Honda CX500B - 91k, 1987 MZ ETZ250 - 40k, 1989 MZ ETZ251 - 52k.

[colin1]

[pa_broon74]

I said no.

In sense I like the idea of it but logic dictates otherwise, for me anyway.

To be honest though, I imagine going by whats past and the idea of more of the same to come, when the time comes to shuffle off, sprout wings, climb the curtains etc; I'll be glad of the peace and quiet.


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Didn't catch anything.

[DrDonnyBrago]

It'd be nice if it did, but it doesn't.

Life = (born, shag, die)n

[Hetzer]

[Dazbo666]

I was brought up as a Catholic with all the teachings of life after death... and all that guff.
So while I'd still like to believe that there's something "on the other side", my common sense and agnostic / lapsed religious ideas tend to suggest that death is final
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1st bike (Sept'06 - May'10) : 1991 GPZ500S / Current bike (since Nov 2009) : 2003 Suzuki Bandit 600N
Word of the day : DILLIGAF

[Frost]

[Kickstart]