The Fear of Non-Existence, Audio Edition

The referenced video is probably this one with Ben Shapiro on his Sunday Special show…

The Empyrean of God. Dante Alighieri’s 1320 poem The Divine Comedy is an imaginative vision of the afterlife inspired by medieval Christian theologians. The artist Gustave Doré illustrated God’s empyrean for an 1892 edition of the work.

The Ladder of Divine Ascent. Painted in the twelfth century, this image depicts the thirty rungs of the ladder representing the thirty stages of the ascetic life; the demons grappling the monks represent the many temptations of this life that might prevent one from reaching the next life. Jesus, upper right, welcomes monks who made it, while angels upper left and monks bottom right encourage seekers to press on. At the bottom left, Satan devours a fallen monk. From the collection of Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Mount Sinai.

Burial of Man with Beads in Sunghir, Russia. Dated between 30,000 and 34,000 years old, this man was interred with 2,936 beads, along with 20 pendants and 25 rings, all made of mammoth ivory sewn into his clothing, since disintegrated, leaving this remarkable scene. Courtesy of José-Manuel Benito Álvarez.

When Elephants Grieve. The animal behaviorist Karen McComb photographed these elephants mourning the loss of family and group members. Photograph courtesy of Karen McComb.

The Soul. William Blake’s portrayal of the soul departing the body upon death captures what most people believe to take place. An illustration from a series designed by Blake for an edition of the poem “The Grave” by Robert Blair, engraved by Louis Schiavonetti in 1813, titled The Soul Hovering over the Body, Reluctantly Parting with Life. Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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