S01E05 - A Sense of Continuity in Mortality? Exploring Science-Oriented Finns’ Views on Afterdeath

What do people who strongly value science think happens after we die? This article examines that question by analyzing open-ended responses from nearly 400 science-oriented Finns recruited through pro-science organizations. As expected, many respondents described death in secular terms—seeing consciousness as ending when the body stops functioning. But the story doesn’t end there. Even among highly science-oriented participants, many expressed forms of “continuity,” such as living on in memories, social contributions, offspring, or the natural cycles of the universe. The study suggests that even in highly secular contexts, people still search for ways to imagine some form of continuity beyond death.(Citation: Haimila, Roosa, and Elisa Muraja. 2023. “A Sense of Continuity in Mortality? Exploring Science-Oriented Finns’ Views on Afterdeath.” OMEGA - Journal of Death and Dying 88(1):38–65. doi:10.1177/00302228211038820.)