Caption contest!

Near Death Experience A near dear experience is said to occur when someone dies for a short while, perhaps on the operating table, during a heart attack or in an accident, and is resuscitated before the state becomes irreversible. Many who have experienced this claim have floated out of their bodies, travelled down a tunnel and arrived in a place of light where they encountered either a dead relative, or a religious figure from their own tradition.

Near death experiences (NDE) are individually unique, but they appear to have a common pattern of ‘core experiences’. From your own understanding, can you write a list of the type experiences people claim to have? K. Ring identified these as an out of body experience, a feeling of peace, entering darkness and seeing light. Peter Fenwick went on to identify several features wich represent the ‘full syndrome’ of near death experiences, including entering a tunnel, experiencing a barrier, a life review, a decision to return, a raped return to the physical body and the removal of the fear of death. Add any you didn’t include to your list. Be sure to add the philosophers name to those you have included or just added!

Feelings of peace When having a near death experience people often claim to have a ‘feeling of peace’. How could we explain this rationally without asserting a belief in life after death? Drug induced from medicine such as morphine A release of endorphins in the brain to help the individual cope with the fear of death. Due to the fact that this can not be tested it is not a satisfactory explanation for physical evidence of LAD

Out-of-body experiences Feeling often claim to have a feeling of leaving their body. Wouldn’t this be evidence for Dualism? How could we explain this rationally without asserting a belief in life after death? People know what a hospital looks like, know the surrounding they had their experience in. (Montefoire 2002) Woman claimed to see a tennis shoe on a window ledge on the third floor of the hospital, she would not have seen this without a birds eye view.

The tunnel and the light People commonly claim to see a tunnel with a light which they start to walk towards. How could we explain this rationally without asserting a belief in life after death? Random firings of the cells in the visual cortex giving the illusion of a rapid journey down a tunnel towards a brilliant light. Light is frequently used as a metaphor for divine realities and holiness. Does it represent the birth process?

The being of light People commonly claim to see a person made of light or within a bright light and they can hear their voice. They is often interpreted as religious. It is usually talked of as a positive, loving experience. How could we explain this rationally without asserting a belief in life after death? Often relates to the religion of the person making the claim

Other claims: The barrier – people feel like there is a part you can’t pass cross. Another country – often described as an idyllic pastoral scene, filled with light, fragrance and colour as a place they ‘visit’. Relatives and friends – People claim to see dead relatives “Then I saw a group of people between me and the light. I knew them: my brother, who had died a few years before, was gesticulating delightedly as I approached” Life review: This a common component ‘my life flashed before my eyes”. The decision to return: Usually people want to stay in the experience but this is impossible and often people claim that they had a decision to return.

Usually the return is rapid and followed by no longer being afraid of death. Often people’s lives are drastically changed as a result of a near-death experience and they lead life more serenely and compassionately. Their belief in God may be deepened, although not necessarily in an orthodox way. The return

How many criticisms can you make of a near death experience?

Raymond Moody famously made a study of near death experiences in multiple literary works: Light Beyond, Life after Life. He claimed to discover many similarities in the testimonies of those who claim to have had such experiences and he was able to highlight a number of problems. Can you think of what these problems might be?

Raymond Moody: NDE raise as many questions as it answers No evidence or proof, just feelings, questions, analogies, puzzling facts which need explaining. How do we decide if they are hallucinatory or genuinely spiritual? Susan Blackmore tries to answer this question: - the explanation must be coherent and specific - is should provide testable predictions

How have the scientists explained it?Summarise the examples of NDE given What’s your opinion?