Near Death Experiences
Many people believe near death experiences prove humans have a spirit or soul that can exist outside the body and can survive death. Dr Michael Sabom's book Recollections of Death (Corgi UK 1982) was possibly the first truly scientific examination of NDE's and remains compulsory reading for anyone interested in the subject of "life after death".
Sabom writes that he was initially skeptical about NDE's and "remained unconvinced" after reading Moody's Life After Life. He criticises Life After Life for being unscientific because "only data collected and presented in a rigorous, unbiased manner ... are eligible".
Despite his claim of objectivity, it soon becomes obvious that Sabom set out with strong preconceptions about "life after death". That some people have had NDE's is not in doubt. That the case studies presented by Sabom are genuine and compelling is also not in doubt. Where Sabom fails in his duty as a scientist is in his biased interpretation of the data.
He glosses over some of his evidence as being unimportant, for example: "Hypercarbia, or elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the brain, may also produce an altered state of consciousness" and it "strongly resembled the NDE, and included perceptions of a bright light, a sense of bodily detachment, revival of past memories, ineffability, telepathic communion with a religious presence, and feelings of cosmic importance and ecstasy".
Furthermore, he maintains that religious belief is not a determining factor in the content of the NDE. His data seems to tell us exactly the opposite ie:
Of the 78 patients specifically interviewed for the study 33 reported an NDE and 45 did not. Of the 33 who reported an NDE it was found 28 (85%) were theist while 5 (15%) were agnostic.
One of the most striking aspects of NDE's is the out-of-body experience. According to Sabom all patients reporting an NDE also reported an OBE component. OBE's are seen by some as validation of the NDE and proof that consciousness can exist outside the human body. In fact, OBE's are not specific to the NDE and are are relatively common. Research shows an OBE can be induced in a number of different ways and that its various effects are illusory.
Sabom's lack of objectivity is even more apparent in his later writings. In a recent essay Sabom says it is not possible to prove there is an afterlife, but he thinks the indicators are there. He argues that all human groups display a belief in the afterlife, therefore it must be true. This is certainly not logical reasoning! There is no scientific evidence that consciousness survives death. And why would it? Consciousness is a function of the human brain. When the brain dies consciousness dies too.
Find more about NDE's on Wikipedia.
Sabom writes that he was initially skeptical about NDE's and "remained unconvinced" after reading Moody's Life After Life. He criticises Life After Life for being unscientific because "only data collected and presented in a rigorous, unbiased manner ... are eligible".
Despite his claim of objectivity, it soon becomes obvious that Sabom set out with strong preconceptions about "life after death". That some people have had NDE's is not in doubt. That the case studies presented by Sabom are genuine and compelling is also not in doubt. Where Sabom fails in his duty as a scientist is in his biased interpretation of the data.
He glosses over some of his evidence as being unimportant, for example: "Hypercarbia, or elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the brain, may also produce an altered state of consciousness" and it "strongly resembled the NDE, and included perceptions of a bright light, a sense of bodily detachment, revival of past memories, ineffability, telepathic communion with a religious presence, and feelings of cosmic importance and ecstasy".
Furthermore, he maintains that religious belief is not a determining factor in the content of the NDE. His data seems to tell us exactly the opposite ie:
Of the 78 patients specifically interviewed for the study 33 reported an NDE and 45 did not. Of the 33 who reported an NDE it was found 28 (85%) were theist while 5 (15%) were agnostic.
One of the most striking aspects of NDE's is the out-of-body experience. According to Sabom all patients reporting an NDE also reported an OBE component. OBE's are seen by some as validation of the NDE and proof that consciousness can exist outside the human body. In fact, OBE's are not specific to the NDE and are are relatively common. Research shows an OBE can be induced in a number of different ways and that its various effects are illusory.
Sabom's lack of objectivity is even more apparent in his later writings. In a recent essay Sabom says it is not possible to prove there is an afterlife, but he thinks the indicators are there. He argues that all human groups display a belief in the afterlife, therefore it must be true. This is certainly not logical reasoning! There is no scientific evidence that consciousness survives death. And why would it? Consciousness is a function of the human brain. When the brain dies consciousness dies too.
Find more about NDE's on Wikipedia.
posted by Robert Charroux at
8:47 AM
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