scholarly journals 再論瀕死經驗的可信性——探索一些常見的質疑

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-84
Author(s):  
Kai Man KWAN
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Scientific Explanations ◽  
Reasonable Belief ◽  
Life After Death ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
Digital Commons ◽  
Death Experience ◽  
Near Death Experiences ◽  
Academic Debate

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.筆者在2016 年撰文探討瀕死經驗 (Near-death Experience-NDE) 的可信性，指出還沒有充分證據支持「醫學科學或心理學的理論能充分和全面解釋NDE 的現象」這觀點，我也認為「NDE 的存在是不能抹殺的，而且NDE 似乎提供了某程度證據顯示，心靈的存在能獨立於身體存在，所以死後生命的可能性是不能輕率否定的。」但我從未說過我能絕對證明NDE 的可信性，也肯定「學術的爭辯還會繼續，更多的研究也須進行」。劉彥方與冼偉林對我作出回應，且基本上採取批判的態度，及偏向懷疑瀕死經驗的可信性。我在此文對他們作出回應，一方面指出他們對我的一些誤解，另一方面繼續探討他們對瀕死經驗的質疑，例如瀕死經驗個案的可靠性、對瀕死經驗的科學解釋以及一些方法論問題等等。我再次重申，我並沒有宣稱我能絕對證明NDE 的可信性，但認為「相信最少有一些NDE 是可靠的」，是一個合理的信念(reasonable belief) ，而劉彥方與冼偉林的批判，並未能推翻這點。The author argued for the credibility of at least some near-death experiences (NDEs) in a previous paper (Kwan 2016), pointing out the lack of sufficient evidence to support the claim that physiological or psychological theories had already fully explained the entire NDE phenomenon. The author proposes that we should not dismiss the existence of NDEs, and states that they seem to offer some support for the ability of the soul to exist independently of the body. Thus, we should not dismiss the possibility of life after death. However, the author has never claimed that he can absolutely demonstrate the veridicality of NDE, and he has explicitly stated that the academic debate will continue and more research should be conducted.In their previous writings, Dr. Joe Lau and Dr. William Sin doubted the credibility of NDEs.In this paper, the author responds to their criticisms, clarifying some of their misunderstandings and further exploring their doubts about NDE, such as the reliability of NDE reports, the scientific explanations of NDE, and some methodological issues.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 177 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.

Can Experiences Near Death Furnish Evidence of Life after Death?

2000 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Williams Kelly ◽  
Bruce Greyson ◽  
Ian Stevenson
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Mental Processes ◽  
Life After Death ◽  
Death Experience ◽  
Near Death Experience

Most people who have a near-death experience (NDE) say that the experience convinced them that they will survive death. People who have not had such an experience, however, may not share this conviction. Although all features of NDEs, when looked at alone, might be explained in ways other than survival, there are three features in particular that we believe suggest the possibility of survival, especially when they all occur in the same experience. These features are: enhanced mental processes at a time when physiological functioning is seriously impaired; the experience of being out of the body and viewing events going on around it as from a position above; and the awareness of remote events not accessible to the person's ordinary senses. We briefly report one such case, and we also briefly describe two additional such cases in which the remote events apparently seen were verified by other persons.

Revelation in Near-Death Experience

2021 ◽  
pp. 536-551
Author(s):  
Gregory Shushan
Keyword(s):  
Life Review ◽  
Vantage Point ◽  
The Body ◽  
Religious Experiences ◽  
Death Experience ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Near Death Experiences ◽  
Near Death Experience

Accounts of near-death experiences (NDEs) across cultures often include claims of encounters with deities or spirits who impart information to the experiencer. Other accounts involve the experiencer obtaining knowledge by other means, without the assistance of a non-human supernatural being. While some cases involve deceased relatives, the most significant factor in others might be the soul’s perceptions of the body from a vantage point outside it, seeing or travelling to other realms, having a panoramic life review, encountering the soul of a person not previously known to have died, having prophetic visions, or more generalized impressions of universal understanding and/or union. In all these senses, NDEs can be seen as revelatory experiences, with profound information being conveyed to the individual through ostensibly mystical or ‘religious’ experiences.

The Perceived Other World in Mormon Near-Death Experiences: A Social and Physical Description

1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 319-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig R. Lundahl
Keyword(s):  
Social Stratification ◽  
Scientific Work ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Physical Description ◽  
The Social ◽  
Death Experience ◽  
Other World ◽  
Near Death Experiences ◽  
Near Death Experience

During the past decade, behavioral and medical scientists have compiled an increasing amount of scientific work on the aspect of death known as the near-death experience. Investigators have found over 100 cases of near-death experience where persons have encountered another realm or mode of existence. This paper describes the perceived other world based on a limited number of insightful cases of Mormon near-death experiences. The social system of the other world is very organized and based on a moral order. The basic societal unit is the family. The other world has a system of social stratification and its most important desirable is morality. Social control processes are also evident in the other world. The Mormon findings suggest that a tremendous process of socialization is being undertaken there. The Mormon descriptions suggest the other world is vast and located near the earth. It contains buildings that are better constructed than the buildings on earth and landscape and vegetation “indescribably beautiful.” New powers and capabilities are experienced in the body form of the other world, and there are various styles of dress. The influence of the Mormon frame of reference on the findings is discussed.

scholarly journals 關文讀後——兼談儒家的靈魂與倫理

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-60
Author(s):  
Ruiping FAN
Keyword(s):  
Basic Element ◽  
The Body ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Religious View ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Digital Commons ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Near Death Experiences

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract in English only.Kwan addresses near death experiences (NDEs) from different perspectives. His attitude is reasonable and humble. Basically, he indicates that scientific studies of NDE can neither prove nor falsify the existence of the soul. Given this circumstance, religious explanations cannot be excluded as unreasonable. He also rightly points out that one may not draw on NDEs to defend only one particular religious view, such as that of Christianity. This commentary essay suggests that it may also be heuristic to study NDE from a Confucian metaphysical perspective. The classical Confucian view considers the basic element of the cosmos to be qi (air/energy 氣), which is believed to be both material and spiritual at the same time. Thus, Confucianism has kept a distance from either Platonic dualism or modern materialistic reductionism. The soul under the Confucian conception includes two parts: the hun (魂the intelligent soul) and the po (魄the animal soul). When a human being dies, “the intelligent soul returns to heaven; the body and the animal soul return to the earth.” Accordingly, it is crucial for Confucians to perform ritual sacrifices to seek the union of a deceased ancestor’s soul. NDE may take place at the moment the hun and po have just separated, but are not yet far from each other.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 54 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.

scholarly journals 靈魂存在嗎？——瀕死經驗的啟示

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 7-41
Author(s):  
Kai Man KWAN
Keyword(s):  
Defense Mechanism ◽  
Oxygen Deficiency ◽  
Modern Medicine ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Veridical Perception ◽  
Philosophical Debate ◽  
Psychological Theories ◽  
Digital Commons ◽  
Near Death Experiences ◽  
Considerable Support

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract also in English.人有靈魂嗎？唯物論與二元論的哲學爭論很複雜，任何一方要徹底駁倒另一方都不容易。隨著醫學進步，近年不少關於瀕死經驗(NDE)的研究為這問題提供不少新的資料。若有一些NDE 被證明是可靠和真實的話，的確會對唯物論構成挑戰。本文會指出對NDE 的認識與醫療照顧（特別是垂危的病人）息息相關，然後探討種種對瀕死經驗的自然主義解釋。生理學理論包括：NDE 純粹是藥物的作用；是缺氧所致等。而心理學理論則包括建構論，人格解體的效應，幻想和想像，或出生時的記憶等。我認為現時還沒有醫學科學或心理學的理論能充分和全面解釋NDE 的現象。我接著探討一些可靠知覺的案例和研究，並指出這對瀕死經驗的可靠性提供相當支持。我的結論是：NDE 的存在是不能抹殺的，而且NDE 對靈魂的存在似乎提供了某程度的支持。Do human beings have a soul? The philosophical debate between materialism and dualism is highly complex, and it is difficult for one side to convince the other. Due to advances in modern medicine, we now have much more research on the phenomena of near-death experiences (NDEs), and these new data provide more information to settle this debate. If some NDEs were shown to be veridical, it would pose a challenge to materialism.This paper is the first to argue that the understanding of NDEs is in fact very relevant to medical care, especially the care of terminally ill patients. I explore various naturalistic explanations of NDEs. Physiological theories appeal to the effects of drugs or oxygen deficiency. Psychological theories include constructivism, the defense mechanism of depersonalization, and the appeal to fantasy. I argue that these theories cannot provide an adequate explanation of the phenomena of NDE. I then examine cases of veridical perception in NDE and review the related research. I argue that these cases provide considerable support for the veridicality of at least some NDEs. I finally conclude that we should not dismiss the significance of NDEs and that they seem to provide some support for the existence of the soul.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 3681 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.

scholarly journals 關文讀後——兼談哲學問題與哲學思考的本質

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 61-64
Author(s):  
Lawrence YUNG
Keyword(s):  
Philosophical Problem ◽  
Greek Philosophy ◽  
Ancient Greek ◽  
Philosophical Thinking ◽  
Philosophical Approach ◽  
Scientific Explanations ◽  
Digital Commons ◽  
Ancient Greek Philosophy ◽  
Death Experience ◽  
Near Death Experience

LANGUAGE NOTE | Document text in Chinese; abstract in English only.This article reviews Kwan Kai Man’s discussion of whether alleged cases of near death experience can give support to the existence of the soul. Kwan’s discussion strikes a balance between scientific explanations of near death experience and traditional religious views of the soul. The existence of the soul has remained a philosophical problem since ancient Greek philosophy. However, Socrates’s attempt to prove the existence of the soul in the Phaedo clearly shows that a purely philosophical approach is inadequate. The existence of the soul is a cross-disciplinary problem that calls for cross-disciplinary investigation. Kwan’s discussion is a good example of how philosophical thinking and methodology can contribute to this cross-disciplinary investigation into the existence of the soul.DOWNLOAD HISTORY | This article has been downloaded 88 times in Digital Commons before migrating into this platform.

Derrida on Pornography: Putting (It) Up for Sale

Derrida Today ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Morris
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Studies ◽  
English Translation ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Past ◽  
French Original ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Critical Discourses ◽  
Academic Debate

Over the past thirty years, academic debate over pornography in the discourses of feminism and cultural studies has foundered on questions of the performative and of the word's definition. In the polylogue of Droit de regards, pornography is defined as la mise en vente that is taking place in the act of exegesis in progress. (Wills's idiomatic English translation includes an ‘it’ that is absent in the French original). The definition in Droit de regards alludes to the word's etymology (writing by or about prostitutes) but leaves the referent of the ‘sale’ suspended. Pornography as la mise en vente boldly restates the necessary iterability of the sign and anticipates two of Derrida's late arguments: that there is no ‘the’ body and that performatives may be powerless. Deriving a definition of pornography from a truncated etymology exemplifies the prosthesis of origin and challenges other critical discourses to explain how pornography can be understood as anything more than ‘putting (it) up for sale’.

The Religious Functions of Near-Death Experiences

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Schlieter
Keyword(s):  
Religious Experience ◽  
Life And Death ◽  
Life After Death ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Near Death Experiences

This final chapter secures the result of the survey by discussing the religious functions of near-death experiences for affected individuals, but also the functions of the reports for the audience. It outlines (a) ontological, (b) epistemic, (c) intersubjective, and (d) moral aspects. It has been argued that experiencers feel closer to God, are less attracted to religion, and are significantly more inclined to believe in life after death. A function of the narratives consists in the claim that, in atheistic and secular times, individual religious experience is still possible. Several reports argue with a copresence of life and death. Discussing cognitivist approaches, the chapter finally concludes that, given the Latin etymology of “experience,” harboring, among others, the meaning of “being exposed to danger” or “passing a test,” near-death experiences can be seen as a match for conceptions of religious experience as a transformative, gained by surviving a life-threatening danger.

Mortal Body, Immortal Mind

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-26
Author(s):  
Hans Goller
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
The Body ◽  
Activity Data ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Body Experiences ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Near Death Experiences ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Alternative Theories

Neuroscientists keep telling us that the brain produces consciousness and consciousness does not survive brain death because it ceases when brain activity ceases. Research findings on near-death-experiences during cardiac arrest contradict this widely held conviction. They raise perplexing questions with regard to our current understanding of the relationship between consciousness and brain functions. Reports on veridical perceptions during out-of-body experiences suggest that consciousness may be experienced independently of a functioning brain and that self-consciousness may continue even after the termination of brain activity. Data on studies of near-death-experiences could be an incentive to develop alternative theories of the body-mind relation as seen in contemporary neuroscience.

The Basics of Microbiology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Werner Solbach
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Defense Mechanisms ◽  
Wide Spectrum ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Asymptomatic Infection ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Effective Measure ◽  
Hygiene Measures

Microorganisms constitute 70 percent of the biomass on Planet Earth. Comparatively few species are adapted to colonize human surfaces and form a complex Meta-Organism with manyfold mutual benefits. Occasionally, microorganisms may overcome the barriers of the skin and mucosal surfaces and may multiply locally or in multiple sites inside the body. This process is called infection. Infections can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, helminths, and fungi. Immediately after infection, numerous defense mechanisms of the immune system are activated to combat replication of the microbes. There is a balance between microorganism and human defense mechanisms, which may lead to either asymptomatic infection or result in a wide spectrum of symptoms from mild to severe disease and even death. The most important factors in the diagnosis of infectious diseases are a careful history, physical examination and the appropriate collection of body fluids and tissues. Laboratory diagnosis requires between 2 and 72 hours. Wherever possible, antibiotics should only be used when sufficient evidence of efficacy is available. Then, however, they should be used as early as possible and in high doses. In addition to everyday hygiene measures, vaccination is the most effective measure to prevent infectious diseases.

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