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Image: www.spiritscienceandmetaphysics.com
Image: www.thirdeyeactivation.com Many religions make claims about the existence of an immaterial, immortal soul that can survive our bodily death. This is known as dualism and is believed in by many religions such as Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism. But can these beliefs be proved by science? Science has not been able to identify the location of the soul in the body despite attempts by philosophers such as Descartes to propose that it is contained somewhere within us (in Descartes’ case he argued that the soul interacted with the body through the pineal gland. This has obviously been dismissed by modern medicine). But what if there was a moment when the soul did become evident? Some believe this to be when people nearly die, the soul starts to leave the body and then returns (when they are resuscitated) with memory of its “journey” out of the body.
Image: zalozba.intuicija.si Many of these events have been analysed by psychologists such as Dr Raymond Moody, Dr Kenneth Ring and Amber Wells, who have interviewed hundreds of people who claim to have had such an experience. As a result of these interviews he came up with 15 ‘common experiences’ and, while no one had all 15, one of the most common experiences was that of meeting dead relatives.
If NDEs are accepted as real, then people meeting those who have died can be seen as ‘proof’ that there is life after death. In Moody’s study, nearly all of the patients felt that they both understood, and were no longer afraid of, death as they knew what would happen when they die. If NDEs are accepted as ‘true’, then consciousness after death does ‘prove’ life after death.
If NDEs are accepted as real, then people meeting those who have died can be seen as ‘proof’ that there is life after death. In Moody’s study, nearly all of the patients felt that they both understood, and were no longer afraid of, death as they knew what would happen when they die. If NDEs are accepted as ‘true’, then consciousness after death does ‘prove’ life after death.
Image: www.tophdgallery.com On the other hand, this argument hinges upon the assumption that NDEs are ‘real’ and not induced by pharmacological, psychological or neurological issues. Dr Susan Blackmore, a psychologist, may have explained one of the more common features in the study which was travelling down a tunnel to see a bright light. She has suggested that, when dying, the cells on the outside edge of the cornea begin to shut down, while the sensitivity of the inner cells is increased by impulses from the brain; this could produce the effects described. It could be argued that, given that our bodies are contain the same components, it is not surprising that people experience the same sensations when undergoing a traumatic experience such as nearly dying. If then, NDEs are not ‘real’ but merely in the mind of the person, then they cannot prove that there is life after death.
Image: www.lazerhorse.org But what about cases when the individual has an out-of-body exeprience? One such incidence was that of Pam Reynolds, a woman who had an out-of-body experience while clinically dead. She was later able to describe a conversation in the operating room and the tools used to cut into her head. She should not have known this information as she was sedated at the time. Advocates such as Moody believe that this provides a strong reason to belief in life after death, especially when combined with other testimonies.
On the other hand, while a good deal of NDEs imply the existence of an afterlife, people who claim to have experienced them are not consistent in their description of that afterlife. Moody’s subjects were all American - a country that is culturally Christian (and even the non-religious would have knowledge of Christianity) - they describe meeting a being of light and dead relatives which is the traditional Christian idea of the afterlife. However a student of Dr Kenneth Ring, Amber Wells, conducted a similar study to Moody using subjects who were from different countries. Her results demonstrated that 70% of the group had an experience that supported the idea of reincarnation rather than a final destination of heaven. This would appear to imply that NDEs are influenced by cultural upbringing. If cultural upbringing instils a belief in life after death, then the experience could not be proof of the afterlife, but merely a reflection of the cultural (or religious) beliefs of the subject.
On the other hand, while a good deal of NDEs imply the existence of an afterlife, people who claim to have experienced them are not consistent in their description of that afterlife. Moody’s subjects were all American - a country that is culturally Christian (and even the non-religious would have knowledge of Christianity) - they describe meeting a being of light and dead relatives which is the traditional Christian idea of the afterlife. However a student of Dr Kenneth Ring, Amber Wells, conducted a similar study to Moody using subjects who were from different countries. Her results demonstrated that 70% of the group had an experience that supported the idea of reincarnation rather than a final destination of heaven. This would appear to imply that NDEs are influenced by cultural upbringing. If cultural upbringing instils a belief in life after death, then the experience could not be proof of the afterlife, but merely a reflection of the cultural (or religious) beliefs of the subject.
In conclusion, if NDEs are real then they appear to advocate some form of dualism and also offer reasons to believe in the afterlife. However, alternative psychological explanations for NDEs cast serious doubt upon this. What do you think?
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