Eben Alexander MD wrote a book describing his experience in 'the afterlife' while medically in a coma. It is titled "Proof of Heaven," [1] but cannot be and is not. There can be no such proof of a universe constructed solely within one's head, thus arbitrary to others.
Based on the medical and science training of Dr. Alexander, I was hoping to read discussion of how mystic experiences do and do not relate to evidence. Unfortunately, he merely describes his experiences; tells his related conclusions; and claims his religious ideas are now validated by his mystical experience. That tale is as old as time.
As people know, I have had 'mystical' experiences, for lack of a better word, and yet they are not 'mystical' to me - they are facts of reality as I know it. I have not made them up. In that, Dr. Alexander and I agree. However, being that each of our experiences are not of this world, ie the 'evidence' is all within our own heads, our experiences are not objective nor can they ever be. We can do our best to explain and share them, but they cannot be proven to others.
This book supported my view that what we experience within mysticism is at least partially related to our own background. We use our knowledge to discuss our findings, so he uses religious terminology to describe things that I would describe without it.
My goal is for religionists and mystics to recognize that we do not all perceive the same things in our own heads, thus we must exert the effort to speak cross-culturally. What knowledge spans across all religions, across all time, and is valid for all men? Only such a philosophy, ie Objectivism, does so and can thus be the basis for respecting rights in society. The reason Objectivism succeeds is because it is based on objective reality that we all do know and share. Objectivism is atheist, apart from faith and religion, so it is amenable to true proof and thus is the only proper philosophy on which to base a government. Already in the USA, many people implicitly accept the idea that government does properly separate church and state.
Unfortunately this book adds neither new evidence nor cross-cultural explanations of the NDE or mystic phenomena. It is strictly a Christian religious account of one man’s life during his coma. It does not attempt to discuss how non-Christians or atheists would view his experiences. Its audience appears to be Christians who already think there is proof of heaven and enjoy more stories upholding their faith.
How does the author fail to prove that the “physiological origins [of a NDE] could lead them to be really perceived although not lived in the reality" [2]? Taken at random, by flipping through the pages, here are two specific examples of how he refutes his own argument. First, on pg. 120 he appears to admit that he came back from his coma with "an ICU psychosis." By definition, psychoses are a "loss of contact with reality" [3], thus any/all objective credibility of what he said about his experiences while in the coma are destroyed. Secondly, in the final summary, he wrote on pg.170, "....[My NDE, Near-death Experience] had healed my fragmented soul. It let me know that I had always been loved.... And it had done so while placing my physical body into a state that, by medical science's current terms, should have made it impossible for me to have experienced anything." In science, lots of things appear impossible until they are understood. In this case, current science surely does not say that the lack of brain activity at time A necessitates never having a ‘dream’ regarding time A. Science never tries to prove a negative.
Thank you to the author for engaging in an interesting, controversial topic. Let us hope we will hear non-denominational discussion from him in the future. Perhaps he is a candidate to read a free copy of Atlas Shrugged [4]?
Refs;
[1] http://www.amazon.com/Proof-Heaven-Neurosurgeons-Journey-Afterlife/dp/1451695195
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-death_experience
Introduction;
The experiences have been described in medical journals as having the characteristics of hallucinations, while parapsychologists, religious believers and a few scientists have pointed to them as evidence of an afterlife and mind-body dualism. According to the 2013 PLOS ONE article by Thonnard et al., "near-death experiences cannot be considered as imagined event memories. On the contrary, their physiological origins could lead them to be really perceived although not lived in the reality."
[2A] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myth_of_Er
The Myth of Er legend concluding Plato's The Republic (380BC) may have been the first description of a NDE. A soldier appeared to be dead, yet ten days later he had not decomposed and arose from the funeral pyre.
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychosis
[4] http://freeobjectivistbooks.org/
Showing posts with label grade-D. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grade-D. Show all posts
2011-01-16
Aphoristic Definitions with Usefulness Notes about Energy Mysticism, Objectivism, EEM, Astrology.
Here are my aphorisms/definitions for a few key terms that will be appearing in this blog (I may improve/edit them in the future):
* An Energy Mystic is one who, through the evidence of his own senses, perceives and uses subtle but real information about micro-weather patterns and other signals [1] to enhance his life. This type of mystic is NOT mystical in the classic philosophical sense which holds that mysticism is blind reliance on facts that are exclusively perceived by others. I now consider myself one of this category of people, as of ~2010.0626Saturday.
* An Objectivist is one who agrees with all the essential elements of Ayn Rand’s philosophy. Those tenets are, in brief: that reality has primacy over consciousness, ie it is real and consciousness is the act of apprehending it, not the other way around; that thinking must proceed by logical thought based on the evidence of the senses; that the need for ethics only arises in the course of an individual’s choice to live and that rational selfishness is thus a virtue; and that the social covenants of politics must uphold an individual’s right to liberty and property by protecting him from the initiation of force and fraud against his chosen quest for life. I have been an Objectivist for many years. As soon as I read Atlas Shrugged, I realized I had just read the greatest novel ever written. I immediately reread it to find John Galt, and then I started really living life, because Ms. Rand convinced me that yes, I can truly succeed in life.
* Donna Eden’s Energy Medicine (EEM) [2] is a system for self-care, bodily systems improvement, and relaxation that uses Ms. Eden’s observations and summaries about the micro-weather patterns in living bodies in crafting techniques for improving health. It is a system that is under the rubric of alternative health care, but it does not operate by the method of diagnosing and treatment of diseases and symptoms. Instead, it works by strengthening the body’s responses and abilities. I am becoming certified in this discipline and am due to be completed in 2012; I'm taking the training primarily in order to expeditiously improve my own health.
* Astrology is the nearly-arbitrary art of describing the impact of micro-weather patterns that arise from planetary signatures on the conditions, but not the outcomes, of earthly events, especially those involving interpersonal relations. Outcomes are never pre-determined by astrology, despite how it might have been misused in the Middle Ages and elsewhere. Free will determines human outcomes. Astrology is helpful in two ways. First, its language offers a poetic and respectful way to describe and discuss possible and actual character faults, which may then be examined and corrected in a benevolent atmosphere [3]. Secondly, various astrological analyses, such as of opportunity periods [4] and trends, often prove valuable for clarifying one’s goals (such as by brainstorming and choosing specific task orderings) and achieving those goals with more ease (such as by making allowances for random problems and peace with one’s coping strategies). Note that both the task of self-change, particularly involving psychological/emotional issues, and the task of setting and acting on goals can often be fraught with either difficult conversations or difficult thinking. Properly used, astrology helps one focus more intently on doing the thinking that is required while at the same time flipping the emotional tone to ease and joy. I now consider myself a professional astrologer, as of perhaps 2008, but I will never be conventionally certified.
TODO Tell how I stumbled into Energy Mysticism.
TODO Maybe I should write about how I am an atheist.
REFS
[1] I purposefully use a vague description here, ie “micro-weather patterns and possibly other signals” because the exact nature of these signals is not yet scientifically defined, and the signals are usually perceived differently by each person. The problem is that I wish to define a type of extrasensory perception that is accessible to me personally, but I want to describe what is true for a class of people like me and yet I am too new and overwhelmed by the area to be a completely reliable observer in this regard.
[2] Donna Eden and her husband have been touring the world since they wrote her first book together.
Donna Eden - 5 Min. Energy Routine
07:58 - 4 years ago
Donna Eden - 5 Min. Energy Routine Highly Recommendend Daily Exercises for the Human Energy Fields. See http://www.innersource.net/ for more information.
[3] As Dr. Ellen Kenner has said on many occasions, to solve psychological issues regarding yourself or others: “become a detective and pursue your clues.”
[4] Astrological opportunity periods, defined by Jim Shawvan, are brief times when it is easier to be calm while having a difficult conversation, for example.
Finding Opportunity Periods by Jim Shawvan
Actual finish time: 9.33pm.
2010-07-03
NYC Book Club: Capitalism Unbound
Update 2013.10: Teaparty365 seems defunct. Another tea party organization is taking on ideas similar to this.
Update: 2011.01: Teaparty365.org is on hiatus until the end of the month.
Update: 2010.12: There will be a book club, since several people are excited about it. However, due to various factors, it has still not started.
If you are interested in attending the organizational meeeting for a reading group on Andrew Bernstein's Capitalism Unbound, please contact me. We are planning a short strategy meeting before next month's NYC Tea Party 365 Patriots meeting.Update: 2011.01: Teaparty365.org is on hiatus until the end of the month.
Update: 2010.12: There will be a book club, since several people are excited about it. However, due to various factors, it has still not started.
By the way, if enough of us are interested in buying the book, we may be able to get a discount.
http://www.andrewbernstein.net/
http://www.amazon.com/Capitalism-Unbound-Incontestable-Individual-Rights/dp/0761849696
http://www.teaparty365.org/
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