If there's life after death, the transition would have to be like cocooning, with the resulting entity being as different as a butterfly is different from a caterpillar. If severe cognitive deficits occurring at the end of a "caterpillar stage" (e.g. senility, Alzheimer's) are retained, the "butterfly stage" would not be desirable. But if the personality is radically altered, in what sense has the person survived death? The life after death may not be ours in the way that the life of a butterfly is not the life of a caterpillar.

Thank you very much ..

Representing life and death with material factors, or likening life and death with images related to matter, as in the caterpillar and the butterfly, is an incomplete state of mind. It is similar to the transformation of a person from a sperm in the mother’s womb to a fetus or child to grow. Such a simile does not reveal the transition that occurs to the person in Another world after he dies

Ahmed Jumaa Al-bahadli

Nevertheless there is a problem with the transition. If a person with senile dementia dies, clearly a continuation in the afterlife in a state of senile dementia is not something to look forward to. (Indeed, even many of the descriptions of one's new and supposedly transcendent and blissful state of being in the afterlife I find profoundly unappealing and alien to my sense of self). So how would someone's personality profile in the afterlife be determined in a way that is compatible with preservation of personal identity?

Again my same question (as down below) in ResearchGate dated (3 march 2024) is paraphrased and asked !? https://www.researchgate.net/post/Is_death_annihilation_or_is_there_afterlife_as_a_kind_of_existance_of_spiritual_conscousness_in_the_universe

The issue is not only death, but continuity between this stage of life and the after death stage of life. What kind of continuity are we speaking about? "Annihilation and extinction" means there is no continuity. New birth into a new life opens the way to some continuity. For example, in Jewish, Islam and Christian tradition you will have different understandings of this new life, and of continuity between both states of life. Moreover, there are some differences inside each tradition. If you are interested in a scientific approach paying attention to christian faith and philosophy (classical and modern), please see:

https://inters.org/death

It seems to me in the monotheist traditions each person becomes perfect framed in a relationship to God, after God, although exactly what this perfection means beyond that relationship to God is another matter-idealised within the physical form only? Completeness of form seems to imply completeness of person.

Nevertheless, there are other notions, the soul, which has only one foot in the physical replicating design and preserving identity.

But, no, there is nothing after death and accepting that requires and indicates courage.

The question of whether death is considered annihilation and extinction or a new birth into a new life is a subject that has been debated throughout human history, with various philosophical, religious, and scientific perspectives contributing to the discourse.

From a philosophical standpoint, the nature of death and the afterlife has been a source of profound contemplation. As the excerpt from Percy Bysshe Shelley's "A Defence of Poetry" suggests, the questions of "Whence do we come? and whither do we go? Is birth the commencement, is death the conclusion of our being? What is birth and death?" have puzzled thinkers for centuries. Similarly, the Urhobo cultural conception of death, as described in the excerpt, highlights the inevitability of death and the profound impact it has on the human experience (Anthony, 2015). The idea of death as a transition or "liminality," rather than an absolute terminus, is explored in the excerpt from the article on "Revenants, Resurrection, and Burnt Sacrifice." This perspective suggests that the afterlife is not a fixed or predetermined realm, but rather a transitional space where the boundaries between the living and the dead are blurred (Caciola, 2014).

Furthermore, the excerpt from "The Meaning of Mystical Experiences on the Boundary between Life and Death" suggests that the reunion with the dead can bring about profound healing and a sense of wholeness that transcends the divide between the living and the dead (Yama, 2019). Ultimately, the question of whether death is annihilation or rebirth remains a deeply personal and subjective matter, with various cultural, philosophical, and religious perspectives offering different insights and interpretations. If I were to look at this question through a lens that synthesizes the perspectives presented in these sources, I would suggest that death is not a simple binary of extinction or rebirth, but rather a complex and multifaceted transition that challenges our understanding of the nature of existence and the boundaries of life and death (Rorty, 1983).

In exploring the meaning of death, some perspectives suggest that it may not be a complete annihilation, but rather a transition to a new form of existence. The excerpt from "Revenants, Resurrection, and Burnt Sacrifice" suggests that many contemporary young adult narratives depict the afterlife as a "transitional, liminal world" rather than a fixed, absolute territory of heaven or hell (Caciola, 2014). This idea of an in-between state or purgatory-like realm resonates with traditional beliefs and cultural conceptions of the afterlife found around the world. Furthermore, the excerpt from "The Meaning of Mystical Experiences on the Boundary between Life and Death" points to the potential for profound healing and wholeness that can emerge from engaging with the experience of death and the connection between the living and the dead (Yama, 2019). On the other hand, the excerpt from "Reincarnation or eternal life? Towards a dialectical integration of Western and Indian perspectives" offers a contrasting perspective, suggesting that the idea of reincarnation or eternal life may not be universally accepted, and that there is a need to reconcile different cultural and philosophical views on the nature of death and the afterlife.

Ultimately, the question remains unanswered, of whether death is considered annihilation and extinction or a new birth into a new life remains a complex and multifaceted topic, with various perspectives and cultural contexts contributing to the ongoing debate.

References

Anthony, A. (2015, September 4). An evaluation of the Urhobo cultural conception of death. African Journals Online, 11(1), 45-45. https://doi.org/10.4314/og.v11i1.3

Caciola, N M. (2014, September 1). Revenants, Resurrection, and Burnt Sacrifice. Penn State University Press, 3(2), 311-338. https://doi.org/10.5325/preternature.3.2.0311

Rorty, A O. (1983, April 1). Fearing Death. Cambridge University Press, 58(224), 175-188. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0031819100068674

Yama, M. (2019, April 3). The Meaning of Mystical Experiences on the Boundary between Life and Death. Taylor & Francis, 13(2), 21-34. https://doi.org/10.1080/19342039.2019.1600978

I cannot agree to the duality of life and death and would not want to abide in the dominion of laws and words. Thus, I can only speculate:

“I died! I am dead. However, one day I shall be born, and will live.”

Original in Portuguese:

"Eu não me conformo com a dualidade da vida e a morte e não vou querer viver sob a tutela das leis e das palavras. Assim, é possível pensar: “Eu morri! Estou morto. Porém, um dia vou nascer, vou viver”. (Michael Chapman, Rio Grande 2008)

(Adriano, Carlos ; ROSA, Carlos Adriano J. . A constelação Zanzibar: aventuras de Michael Chapman. Trópico, São Paulo.)

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