Part 2/7:
Physicalism posits that the universe is fundamentally composed of physical entities—like particles and energy—whose interactions constitute reality. From this standpoint, when a person dies, the disintegration of the brain leads to the dissolution of consciousness. This presents a rather stark conclusion: upon death, an individual's unique experiences and thoughts cease to exist, marking an endpoint in that person’s narrative. The implications of physicalism are straightforward and final: death is the end of consciousness and, consequently, the end of the self.