near death experiences

NDEs

• Near death experiences can be used to support any theoretical mode of life after death, even reincarnation 

• Hindu accounts of near death experiences include discussions of what might be an appropriate reincarnation for that person 

• Reported characteristics of near death experiences 

• Many common elements are reported, but a person’s interpretation of these events often correspond with the cultural, philosophical and religious beliefs of the people experiencing it: 

• Seeing a dark tunnel with a light at the end of it 

RAYMOND MOODY 

• He was a psychiatrist who conducted a study on 150 people who claimed to have had a near death experience He stated that a near death experience has nine steps in which they ascend into a spiritual realm before being told it is not their time to die 

• He describes that the correct approach to be taken with someone who has had a near death experience is to ‘ask, listen, validate, educate, refer’ 

• Moody suggests that these shared elements point toward the continuity of consciousness beyond clinical death. 

• He remains open to metaphysical explanations, seeing NDEs as possible evidence for life after death, although he stops short of definitive theological claims. 

STRENGTH: consistency 

• The consistency across reports, cultures, and ages suggests a common underlying phenomenon. 

•  Later studies by Kenneth Ring and Bruce Greyson support Moody’s findings, reinforcing their credibility. 

•  Philosopher and psychologist William James emphasized the importance of “radical empiricism,” the inclusion of all human experiences in philosophical inquiry. Moody’s work aligns with this methodology by taking subjective reports seriously. 

COUNTER to consistency

Susan Blackmore, a neuroscientist and psychologist, argues that NDEs are the result of brain activity under extreme duress. She notes that tunnel vision, light experiences, and detachment from the body can be induced through oxygen deprivation and drugs. 

WEAKNESS: philosophical ambiguity

• Hume would likely critique Moody for relying on anecdotal evidence and emotional appeals rather than demonstrable, universal experience. Hume warned against the use of “extraordinary” testimony, especially when alternative explanations exist. 

•  Critics point out that subjective experiences, no matter how vivid, cannot definitively demonstrate the survival of consciousness. Just as dreams or hallucinations are not considered evidence of another world, NDEs may not be either. 

verification of NDEs

• Verification comes from those who claim to have had near death experiences 

• The evidence of their experience is often based on a recall of objects or events which could only be known if the experience was true 

• Such as discovering the location of an object during an out of body experience 

• Near death experiences could also be verified through observing changes to the subject’s behaviour or outlook 

• Dr Susan Blackmore (a british physiologist and psychologist) argues that near death experiences cannot be verified She denies the reality of them in terms of giving any information about the process of dying 

• She compares near death experiences to dreams