Originally posted by AccessDenied
But if you yourself subscribe to this theory, and if it were true, how does everyone else's reality tie into yours, especially those born before or after you?

And who said that "everyone else" are real ?
Maybe they are only virtual people.
Maybe I created them all just for justify myself.

The truth is that you can't prove that all thing are real.
If they were virtual, they would looks like real anyway...

It's all about faith in science, isn't it?

wow. lol

There is an objective reality that is whole and apart and separate from any thoughts, feelings or symbolism you may or may want to project upon it.

Of course the world existed before you were born. ask your mom. lol. she'll fill you in.

the world is not dependent on yours or my existence, it would exist with or without humanity entirely.

Originally posted by andy1033
Well simple question, did the world exist before you where born and will it after you die?

Did the world I know exist before I was born? No. But another world/s existed. Those many different worlds that existed are from others as they know them but we have shared point of existence that we occupy, when I was born into the shared point I existed in it but my world only came into being when this happened. I do not think that the existence of these others is reliant on my existence, and vice versa.

Personally i think we all live in our own worlds and i know there is a term for that.

Me too, well kind of. I think that my world and that of others can overlap and influence one another. So we can share elements of each others worlds but never truly know each others entire world.

Do you think the world existed before you where born, plus if you do, why do you?

Yes. I believe that a large part of my existence is material in nature and that this material existed before I did. So therefor the material world I occupy, that is also the shared point of existence I occupy with others, must have existed before I did and will continue to exist after I cease to.

I am not saying i believe in this, i am just asking, though i do believe we all live in our own worlds.

It is quite possible to believe or disbelieve whatever you like. You are in your own world. Your beliefs may change due to the influence of another person describing the world they believe in.

Originally posted by AccessDenied
But if you yourself subscribe to this theory, and if it were true, how does everyone else's reality tie into yours, especially those born before or after you?

Everyone else's reality is just your imagination as is everyone else, be it hypothetically born after or before you.. They are all part of your conciousness.

I sometimes think like this lol. But then I realise just before its too late that I might actually be going insane xD

That said, thinking like this has helped me through life in some instances

but what if you dont believe your birth was the beginning? what if there is no beginning and no end? infinite consciousness anyone?

Hmmm ... I have thought about this also ... and like others, it kinda makes my head hurt to think about it

Is it a case of "IF a tree falls in a forest end there is nobody to hear it, does it still make a noise?" ... or my own version regarding God ... "If we were not here, would God exist?" ... but that's a whole different kettle of fish

I'm in a difficult space on this one however ... it might sound quite out there for some - but I was adopted from birth and was simply told that I was born in Addington Hospital, Durban, South Africa ... yet, I am a hugely different person to what the rest of my adopted family is/was ... so I've often caught myself wondering if I really was born or how I came into existence. Though I'm 45 now and I know hospital record keeping might not have been what it is today back then, there is no record of my birth at that hospital. This has lead me down other trains of thought and speculation and if anyone has thought similar stuff, it would be great to hear from you.

I would venture that the world did exist before I was born ... even if only in the 'mind' of that which placed me here ... thereafter it became my world. Will the world still be here after my departure? ... Who knows? ... Certainly not my world ... but who cares anyway?

Originally posted by SpaceMonkeys
but what if you dont believe your birth was the beginning? what if there is no beginning and no end? infinite consciousness anyone?

I will take that, I believe consciousness is infinite but in a sense that it can be passed on similar to my consciousness passed on to this computer which makes it act conscious while it is not because the consciousness is derived from me.

The consciousness of a human body is derived from somewhere/one else we can't perceive the same way a computer can't perceive us. Even if we record the explanation in the computers it won't still understand, why do you suppose soul is the biggest mystery of all times. At least one of the big mysteries.

I personally believe the world cannot exist without being observed. Death would be one of those instances where you can't observe.... or can you????

The saying, and I hope I quote it correctly, "You came into this world alone, and you will leave this world alone", has always made me think. This world is so very complex, the thought that we are different or more special than any other living thing has always puzzled me.
Like many people, I've spent hours, days and probably years when you add them all up, pondering the meaning of why? I have nothing concrete, no profound answer to the eluding question....just continuing my journey in hope that it'll all make sense in the end.....or is it the beginning

Originally posted by andy1033
Well simple question, did the world exist before you where born and will it after you die?

Personally i think we all live in our own worlds and i know there is a term for that.

Do you think the world existed before you where born, plus if you do, why do you?

I am not saying i believe in this, i am just asking, though i do believe we all live in our own worlds.

Hum you mean a kind of Matrix ? hum ahrd to say but not impossible.

What a fantastic thread, Did the world exist before me? i would have to say yes. Will it continue after me? also i have to say yes. Only because as long as there is a consciousness to PERCEIVE reality in any form it will exist. Once all consciousness is removed from this reality or leaves there will be nobody or nothing left to observe it and thus it will cease to exist. Basically if your not watching it, ist not there.

So many great theories posted on here. All you guys deserve a pat on the back for using that god given talent of thinking. We desperately need more people who think.

Originally posted by DrumsRfun
My belief is yes it was here before I got here and I have never had a say as to how it should be once I arrived.
I was just plopped out and had to deal with the decisions that were made before I got here and to this day I still have no say and do not agree with how people ruined it before i got here.

I agree with you.

I also disagree with how people are still ruining it and how they will continue to ruin it after I am gone. I, of course, am as bad as anyone, and I do not buy carbon credits or anything. But I am not a corporation and the truth is, corporations and countries with poor environmental laws are the ones doing this. One man cannot undo the entire industrial rebirth of China.

Here's the rub restated.

You will never know anything outside of your own existence, so you cannot prove that anything outside of your own existence exists.

However, there is a slippery slope. If you start believing that your world is indeed a stage and others are merely players, you may slip into the thinking that you have the right to do anything simply because everything is just your illusion to play with as you see fit.

Solipsism syndrome. Find it.

As I see it, even if my reality is an illusion being played out just for me, I'm going to roll with it. I trust that there must be some point.