Week 1: Harry Manacsa

This week’s readings demonstrate the difficulty in scientifically analyzing near-death experiences.

For instance, we cannot yet measure the variables that describe the thresholds of nearing death—if such a variable can be observed. In Arindam Kumar Paul’s journal article, the weaknesses of near-death studies are prominent in their mathematics. Although they postulate that a baseline reference for consciousness is ones’ time coordination, Paul cannot give exemplary measurements for someone experiences near-death.

Pereira and Reddy introduce the idea of a cell-soul pathway, in which the mind and body are separate entities, to reason why near-death exemplars recall information while clinically dead. I believe this article more effectively articulates their hypothesis by providing evidence in, among others, how cells behave differently from one another in near-death stress. However, the paper still highlights the unknown variables, such as the energy that enables connection between the soul, body, and universe.

Both papers utilize anecdotes from patients whom have had near-death experiences. This fact demonstrates that testimonies are the only ways that we study the phenomena. This concept of “anecdotal science” is thus very useful, yet has been criticized by scholars to be largely non-sequitur, because personal stories cannot be reproduced with the scientific method. In fact, personal anecdotes have largely been left out when describing the histories of cultures and nations in western studies. Unfortunately, all this further highlights the difficulty of near-death studies.

Video: Inside a Dying Mind: https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/387946/the-science-of-near-death-experiences/

Question: How can near-death experiences be more properly studied using the scientific method?

Arindam Kumar Paul, Liton Devnath, and Md. Rafiqul Islam. An Approach to Prove the

Existence of After Life by Analyzing Near Death Experience’s Data with Mathematical Logic.”

Contzen Pereira & J Shashi Kiran Reddy. “Near Death Cases Desegregating Non-

Locality/Disembodiment via Quantum Mediated Consciousness: An Extended Version of the Cell-Soul Pathway.” 

Kieu Linh Valverde. “Fight the Tower: Call to Action for Women of Color in the Academy.”