Science and the Near-Death Experience: How Consciousness Survives Death Paperback - 2010

From the rear cover

NEW AGE / SCIENCE "Carter details the history, physics, and observed phenomena that will forever change how we look at the brain." --Robert Bobrow, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Family Medicine at Stony Brook University and author of The Witch in the Waiting Room ." . . the best book on NDEs in years. This book brings much-needed insight and common sense to our understanding of NDEs." --Bruce Greyson, M.D., Carlson Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia Predating all organized religion, the belief in an afterlife is fundamental to the human experience and dates back at least to the Neanderthals. By the mid-19th century, however, spurred by the progress of science, many people began to question the existence of an afterlife, and the doctrine of materialism--which dictates that consciousness is a creation of the brain--began to spread. Now, using scientific evidence, Chris Carter challenges materialist arguments against consciousness surviving death and shows how near-death experiences (NDEs) may truly provide a glimpse of an awaiting afterlife. Using evidence from scientific studies, quantum mechanics, and consciousness research, Carter reveals how consciousness does not depend on the brain and may, in fact, survive the death of our bodies. Examining ancient and modern accounts of NDEs from around the world, including China, India, and tribal societies such as the Native American and the Maori, he explains how NDEs provide evidence of consciousness surviving the death of our bodies. He looks at the many psychological and physiological explanations for NDEs raised by skeptics--such as stress, birth memories, or oxygen starvation--and clearly shows why each of them fails to truly explain the NDE. Exploring the similarities between NDEs and visions experienced during actual death and the intersection of physics and consciousness, Carter uncovers the truth about mind, matter, and life after death. CHRIS CARTER received his undergraduate and master's degrees from the University of Oxford. The author of Parapsychology and the Skeptics, Carter is originally from Canada and currently teaches internationally.

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Citations

• Foreword, 09/15/2010, Page 0