It is always good to see this topic reappear on ATS. I will take another shot at answering this as best I can, from a strictly cognitive viewpoint.
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There are two parts to human consciousness: processing, and qualia. (Qualia are sensations that don't require processing, such as pain and pleasure.)
The processing is definitely tied to the proper functioning of the brain, and is driven by time. Qualia are quite different, and defy any explanation
of science so far. Here is what Wikipedia says about qualia.
en.wikipedia.org...
Here is my theory. I think qualia are caused by massive reversal of entropy as time passes from the the future, to the NOW, and into the past. This
sets up some sort of interference pattern (or some sort of blockage) between ourselves and the universe.
This blockage is a natural phenomenon, but since qualia are personal to an individual, there is no easy way to examine this, even using EEG's and
carefully watching behavior. (How can you tell if someone is feeling happy or sad, or merely faking it?) You might be able to induce qualia in some
sort of complex machine that makes order out of disorder. Perhaps a very sophisticated piece of software?
When we die, the wall which isolates our qualia from the universe -- that interference pattern -- comes down, and we re-enter the universal sense of
qualia. If you are religious, you might say we enter the mind of God. If you are not religious, you have to believe that qualia are some how intrinsic
properties of the universe, residing in some different dimension that we cannot directly know (due to the blockage described above.)
I think if it a bit like the air in a bubble, returning to the atmosphere. But that is a weak analogy. (I'm not the first to make that comparison,
and I am constantly looking for some better example to explain what I really mean.)
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So, in short, death ends the processing of the human brain, but also destroys the barrier between ourselves and a feeling universe. Whether the end
result is pleasurable or painful, I really can't say, but I am optimistic.
So there you have it. One less thing to worry about.