Persons, souls, and death : a philosophical investigation of an afterlife

Awareness of mortality is the price of intelligent consciousness. This book argues that a person is essentially an immaterial subject of conscious states who, though intimately linked by causal ties to the body, is nevertheless distinct from it. The book also examines apparently paranormal occurrences supporting the belief that some persons have survived bodily death. Cases of near-death experiences, apparitions, reincarnation experiences and mediumship phenomena are presented and discussed. Though it might seem contrary to natural law for a person to exist apart from a body and properly functioning brain, these cases suggest otherwise. Critical evaluation of alternative interpretations is provided. The perennial question A philosophical approach The influence and scope of science The coherence of the idea of post-mortem existence The relevance of the case for theism The nature of persons and the laws of nature The case against post-mortem existence Antecedent probability of extinction Empirically-grounded support of extinction Theory-based arguments for extinction Minds, souls, and persons Materialist-reductionist accounts of the mental Materialist theories of personal identity The immateriality of the mental Psychological theories of the person The person as subject of conscious states Mental-physical relations The causality problem Mind-brain interaction Causation conceived as reducible Causation conceived as irreducible Deep causation The directionality of causation Intentional causation Dualistic causation and the causal closure hypothesis Mental-mental causation Paranormal causation The causal independence of the conscious self General considerations supportive of post-mortem existence Theism and revelation accounts The deep unity of the self Non-intentional consciousness and the self Our investigation so far Near-death experiences Death bed visions Non-terminal near death experiences Naturalistic explanation of NDES Paranormal theories : ESP and super-ESP Apparitions Reciprocal apparitions The naturalistic interpretation Paranormal interpretations of apparitions of the dead Collective and iterative apparitional experiences The super-PSI hypothesis The telepathic theory The objectivist theory The survivalist explanation Reincarnation Reincarnation vs. possession interpretations Cases of responsive xenoglossy Spontaneous recall of ostensible former lives The Shanti Devi case The case of Jasbir Jat The case of Swarnlata Mishra Naturalistic explanations The fraud hypothesis Cryptomnesia Paramnesia Inherited memory Paranormal explanations The PSI hypothesis ESP plus impersonation Reincarnation and survival Reincarnation and the subject of conscious states Mental mediumship The mediumship of Mrs. Piper Mrs. Willett's mediumship Proxy sittings "Drop-in" communicators The cross-correspondences Assessment of the case for post-mortem existence Overview of our investigation into the essence of persons Dispositions and the self Sensory experience in an afterworld Discarnate communication The significance of the ostensible evidence of survival Super-PSI or survival The balance of probabilities. "This book argues that a person is essentially an immaterial subject of conscious states who, though intimately linked by causal ties to the body, is nevertheless distinct from it. The book also examines paranormal occurrences supporting the belief that some persons have survived--though only temporarily--bodily death. Reports of near-death experiences, apparitions, and reincarnation experiences are discussed"--Provided by publisher.