Newsweek Declares that Heaven is Real!

[_zeezrom]

May science and charity visit us all on our deathbeds.


Picasso's last traditional painting, done at age 15.

[_Harold Lee]

Way I see it near death experiences are like spirits. I don't really believe in either even though there's plenty of stories out there. I am skeptical but definitely don't say it's impossible. Definitely skeptical though.

He was a Harvard professor in neuroscience so that is definitely impressive for him to be saying those things. On the other hand he's also been religious all his life (Roman Catholic) so the angle of he's a skeptic turned believer that's used to give it more supposed credibility has to be overblown quite a bit.

Religious people saying they see things. I don't know what to make of that. The problem with NDE's is if you put them all together to construct one picture it'd make no sense. You'd have only a few consistencies- brightness, feeling at peace or good. But if you try to paint a picture of what the afterlife is like from those varying stories it'd be like What Dreams May Come- each person sees what consistutes their personal and unique version of heaven. Sounds fantastic.

The only part that's curious to me is every NDE I've heard they have the sensation of flying up and out. I have that often when I'm dreaming, maybe oxygen depleted with no circulation makes you feel lightheaded and you visualize the sensation? I tend to dream about what my body is experiencing (sounds extrapolate themselves into stories in dreams, so maybe the lightheaded and bright sensation mimics the sun and going into it?) Who knows.

Never heard anything negative about it from NDE's though, so maybe death isn't the worst thing in the world.

[_RayAgostini]

Religious people saying they see things. I don't know what to make of that. The problem with NDE's is if you put them all together to construct one picture it'd make no sense. You'd have only a few consistencies- brightness, feeling at peace or good. But if you try to paint a picture of what the afterlife is like from those varying stories it'd be like What Dreams May Come- each person sees what consistutes their personal and unique version of heaven. Sounds fantastic.

Perhaps you should take a closer look:

Why NDEs Are Different: Kevin Williams' interpretation.

[_Harold Lee]

Religious people saying they see things. I don't know what to make of that. The problem with NDE's is if you put them all together to construct one picture it'd make no sense. You'd have only a few consistencies- brightness, feeling at peace or good. But if you try to paint a picture of what the afterlife is like from those varying stories it'd be like What Dreams May Come- each person sees what consistutes their personal and unique version of heaven. Sounds fantastic.

Perhaps you should take a closer look:

Why NDEs Are Different: Kevin Williams' interpretation.

Very well researched article, goes over a lot. Very interesting that there were no universal experiences in his sample.

Makes me feel worthless for not being loving enough either lol.

[_lostindc]

Religious people saying they see things. I don't know what to make of that. The problem with NDE's is if you put them all together to construct one picture it'd make no sense. You'd have only a few consistencies- brightness, feeling at peace or good. But if you try to paint a picture of what the afterlife is like from those varying stories it'd be like What Dreams May Come- each person sees what consistutes their personal and unique version of heaven. Sounds fantastic.

Perhaps you should take a closer look:

Why NDEs Are Different: Kevin Williams' interpretation.

Not to name drop but I know Kevin Williams and I received publication advice from him. His site is fantastic and deserves a visit by all those interested in the NDE. He does a good job addressing criticisms of the NDE in a wiki sort of manner.

[_Equality]

Sam Harris fairly well exposes Dr. Alexander's sloppy pseudoscientific Newsweek story:
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/this-must-be-heaven

[_Cicero]

Sam Harris fairly well exposes Dr. Alexander's sloppy pseudoscientific Newsweek story:
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/this-must-be-heaven

Thanks Equality. When I read the account and he asserted that his cerebral cortex was "inactive" during his coma, I remember thinking "wait, wouldn't that mean you were brain dead?"

[_Tchild]

Sam Harris fairly well exposes Dr. Alexander's sloppy pseudoscientific Newsweek story:
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/this-must-be-heaven

Here is a question: Why would the brain explode with neurological activity as it is dying? What would be the evolutionary advantage of a brain offering its soon-to-be-dead host, lucid consciousness that it has never provided at any other time while fully functioning?

Doesn't make sense to me.

[_Stormy Waters]

Here is a question: Why would the brain explode with neurological activity as it is dying? What would be the evolutionary advantage of a brain offering its soon-to-be-dead host, lucid consciousness that it has never provided at any other time while fully functioning?

Doesn't make sense to me.

I think of it as a symptom of a dying brain. It's not intentional. It's not useful. It's just something that happens. Given the way various drugs can alter our consciousness and perceptions I don't find it surprising that a brain that is dying can sometimes produce similar effects.

Thanks for the link Equality!

[_Harold Lee]

No there's no way the sensations of dying being a pleasant parting gift the way NDE's describe could provide an evolutionary advantage. There's literally no relation at all to evolutionary advantage in natural selection. However humans evolve by sexual selection more than natural, and given how close-knit 'families' or communities were maybe individuals who died peacefully and pleasantly left a better effect on their offspring and their partners who were present than those who died miserably. Who knows, it's really most likely irrelevant.

To be honest it's very likely this didn't begin with humans, intelligent animals may well experience the same things and that brings us back to how this could have evolved directly from natural selection, and it couldn't. It'd have to be a side effect of other traits that evolved.

It might more likely be a side effect of improved pain tolerance- our adrenal glands offering a natural morphine when we experience intense pain or perhaps death- mixed with entering a dream state as we slip from consciousness. As for the dreaminess entered into, there might be a relation between consciousness fading out and the reduced brain waves in sleeping states. Maybe as we die we enter a dream for whatever reason. The way we're feeling can translate into what we're dreaming about or hallucinating. Really no one knows if they're real or a line between dreamt/hallucinatory.

Ideally you want to be as unassuming as possible, and that would lead you to the latter conclusion of these being dreamt or hallucinated, rather than that his spirit was literally being lifted into heaven by a sea of butterflies.

To be honest it's been explored a lot by professionals. The debate gets more interesting as he's a very qualified one that's crusading for the supernatural side of NDE's. Whatever happened must be a very intense experience.