I'm not one to jump on the religious bandwagon, but I'd say there are things that science hasn't been able to explain.
That said, I still adopt the atheist's view that you simply stop. It'd be a bit like falling asleep, but much deeper and less remembering.
That's the thing I have trouble wrapping my head around. I mean,
how could we just disappear? I just can't image my consciousness disappearing. Hell, can you?
Just because you're crazy does not mean that you are lacking in will.
Yeah but it is harder to focus your mind on ideas and make them coherent. But then again, we are defining insanity in society's terms, basically anyone that doesn't conform to general human civilization's rules and laws.
Well maybe some ghosts decided to explore the universe? Or maybe being a ghost has some kind of power exchange. Build up enough energy to present yourself to the physical world for 10 seconds kinda thing. Some people just can't keep focus long enough (or may not even realize that they can!). I dunno.
There might be special laws of Physics that apply to spectral things, such as ghosts.
I can't help but remember how before magnetism was discovered magnets were called 'lodestones' and they were 'magical'.
Then when better technology came about, the Law of Magnetism was established. So, what I mean is that in the future with better technology maybe we will discover that there is indeed an afterlife and 'ectoplasm' will be called something else, maybe 'spectral energy'.