Top 10 Theories About What Happens After We Die

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What happens when we die? Let's find out together. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most interesting theories about what might happen to us after we expire.

Transcript

00:00All we are is dust in the wind, dude.

00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most interesting theories

00:09about what might happen to us after we expire.

00:12Isn't it amazing?

00:13Is this what you thought it would be?

00:16I certainly didn't.

00:17I don't know what it is yet, do you?

00:20No, I guess I don't.

00:24Number 10.

00:25Duat and the Judgment of the Dead.

00:27The stories and myths about what happens when we die are many, with countries and cultures

00:31often sharing ideas about a soul's journey into the afterlife.

00:35The ancient Egyptian believed in an underworld known as Duat, a place over which Osiris reigned

00:40and where souls encountered spiritual challenges.

00:43It was only after these varied challenges were conquered that these dead souls might

00:48encounter the gods Anubis, Thoth, and Ammit, while having their hearts judged.

00:53Should the soul's heart be too heavy when placed opposite a feather from the deity Maat,

00:58then the person would be devoured by Ammit.

01:00However, if that soul's heart passed the test, then they would be allowed passage into

01:04Aru, an Egyptian equivalent to paradise.

01:08If the scales balance by the time you've ended the journey, then a soul is permitted to pass

01:12into the field of reeds.

01:13What if they don't balance?

01:15You get thrown overboard!

01:18Number 9.

01:19Spiritual Levels Theory.

01:20One of the most interesting things about the afterlife is its status as the ultimate unknown.

01:26There's no definitive answer about what happens, and this makes theories such as Edgar Cayce's

01:30tenets of spiritualism just as valid as any other.

01:34Cayce was an alleged clairvoyant who gained fame and notoriety thanks to his mysterious

01:39trances and prophecies.

01:41His spiritual levels theory was rooted in astrology and presented various states of

01:45being that were analogous to the nine planets.

01:48Cayce's afterlife was one that provided ultimate freedom to these travelling souls, an ability

01:53to visit the creativity of Neptune, or experience the eternal love of Venus.

01:58It's a theory that ties in strongly to Cayce's influence upon the New Age movement.

02:03Number 8.

02:04Pessimist Theory.

02:05Those espousing a pessimist theory to the afterlife could point to several literary

02:09quotes as reasons for their feelings.

02:11These quotes include Shakespeare's, Hell is Empty and All the Devils are Here, or Hell

02:16is Other People, by Jean-Paul Sartre.

02:25It may sound melodramatic, but the pessimist focuses less about what happens after they

02:29die because they believe all of humanity has already expired.

02:33Or perhaps they feel that existence itself is so routine that the only rational approach

02:38is to pessimistically await an unknown future.

02:41The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer expanded on this, commenting upon how life is a constant

02:46state of dying versus a will to live, and that only through the bringing of death can

02:50the soul find release and, potentially, happiness.

02:54Number 7.

02:55Paranormal Theory.

02:56There was a little girl, she was about maybe eight or so, and she looked at me and she

03:01said, why are you dirty?

03:04This next theory is fairly popular because it provides something with which we can emotionally

03:08relate.

03:09The paranormal theory deals with the study of parapsychology, a pseudoscientific belief

03:14in ghosts, hauntings, and events that can't be explained.

03:17Leaving our loved ones behind after we die is one of the most painful things about the

03:21afterlife, or at least within our perception of it.

03:24So what happens if we can retain that personal contact?

03:38The paranormal theory presents this idea that connection after death is possible, via the

03:43utilisation of psychic medium or some other form of communication.

03:47However, this also brings to the table the idea of souls being lost, with some sort of

03:52unfinished business… which sounds somewhat tragic, to say the least.

04:04Number 6.

04:06Egocentric Theory.

04:07The egocentric theory basically posits that you are the centre of all things, and so the

04:12universe began with you and will end with your death.

04:21The philosophical writings of Friedrich Nietzsche are often associated with this theory, with

04:25some taking the viewpoint that egocentric theory on the afterlife places nearly all

04:30of the control within the goals and desires of the deceased.

04:33These people surmise that, since death is an unknown, what awaits us can be manipulated

04:38and made into anything we wish.

04:40If we truly believe that we are the centre of our universe, then maybe so too can we

04:46conquer death and find an afterlife that suits our innermost desires.

05:00Number 5.

05:01Uncertain Theory.

05:02It's nearly impossible to separate theorising about death from the great philosophers of

05:07the world, including Denmark's Søren Kierkegaard.

05:11The man's existential philosophy left a lot of room to interpretation when it came

05:15to the afterlife.

05:26This comes down primarily to Kierkegaard's assertion that death and the afterlife is

05:30a quote uncertain certainty.

05:32Everything dies, we know this.

05:34Kierkegaard argued that possessing an uncertain theory about the afterlife may not necessarily

05:39affect what happens to us, but can affect how we live our lives in the here and now.

06:00A person who believes in the uncertain theory of death may choose to live in a manner of

06:04hedonistic excess, or may conversely live in a simple manner, in the hopes of some great

06:09cosmic reward.

06:11Number 4.

06:12Plato on the Soul.

06:13The Phaedo, a treatise on the soul by Greece's famed philosopher Plato, echoes the sentiments

06:19of Plato's mentor Socrates, who espoused that the soul is immortal.

06:23Socrates was condemned to death by the Romans, on account of his deviation from their state

06:28religion.

06:36But Plato's dialogue accepts his teacher's idea that the soul will travel after the body's

06:41demise.

06:42Plato spoke specifically about a soul's judgment, with the just entering the fields of Asphodel,

06:48while the wicked are condemned to torment in the pits of Tartarus.

06:52There are connections here to both other ancient religions as well as Abrahamic ideas of heaven

06:56and hell, while Plato also ensured to allow for a place of limbo known as the Acherusian

07:02Lake.

07:03Good afternoon and welcome to Judgment City.

07:06You've just had quite a little journey, so for now, relax and enjoy the ride.

07:10Considering the transformation you've just been through, you really won't have any choice.

07:15Number 3.

07:16Biocentrism.

07:17I wanted to see if I went in, could I finally escape, like actually die?

07:25The idea of a connection between consciousness and the cosmos is revisited within the theory

07:30of biocentrism.

07:31This philosophical construct, by Boston-based doctor and author Robert Lanza, offers that

07:37biology and consciousness molds the world around us, and that the afterlife may take

07:42place over the span of multiple universes.

07:52It's a theory that brings up potential feelings of déjà vu throughout endless multiverses

07:57as our consciousness travels.

07:59It may sound like the stuff of Marvel comics, but biocentrism, like any other afterlife

08:05theory, provides an interesting outlet for the ultimate unknown.

08:22Number 2.

08:23Solipsism.

08:24All life ends.

08:25It's perhaps the path of the agnostic, the skeptic, or the atheist.

08:30The theory of solipsism places all of the emphasis upon consciousness and the mind.

08:34Knowing this, a solipsistic theory concerning the afterlife essentially means that all life,

08:39all existence, will end once the mind is gone.

08:43Then again, this idea of total oblivion also brings with it the absence of pain and of

08:48loss.

08:54As a result, the solipsist might very well welcome said oblivion, if only to quiet the

08:58nagging question of what happens that lurks within us all.

09:02This theory feels similar in tone to pessimism or even nihilism, while also acknowledging

09:07the potential for peace at the end of all things.

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09:37Number 1.

09:38Rebirth and reincarnation.

09:53Just as the eternal return theory espouses the potential for differing outcomes for differing

09:58deaths, so too do theories of rebirth and reincarnation offer up hope for another chance.

10:04Many Indian religions espouse beliefs in reincarnation, an experience that sees the spirit take on

10:10a new physical form after death.

10:22This cycle of death, rebirth, and reincarnation may be connected with attaining the spiritual

10:27plane of nirvana.

10:29The religion of Jainism even offers up the idea that reincarnation may not solely be

10:33limited to the human experience, but we may even return as an animal or plant.

10:38All of these scenarios, at the very least, offer up intriguing food for thought.

10:52Can you think of any theories we missed?

10:54Let us know in the comments.

10:56Check out these other clips from WatchMojo, and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell

10:59to be notified about our latest videos.

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