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Old 23rd March 2017, 07:05 AM   #1161
Porpoise of Life
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
You misunderstood me. Einstein's theory can explain gravity and speed better then Newton did, because Einstein's theories can explain the exotic phenomena or the extremes.
(huge masses and very high speeds)

I used the difference between these theories of gravity as an analogy to explain how Kastrups 'mental worlds-view' is a broader theory which can also explain NDE's and psychedelic trips to hyperreal worlds. The materialistic theories about consciousness and the brain cannot explain these phenomena.
We are talking here about a theory which explains the phenomena of the mind better.

We are not talking about a theory of gravity.
Ah, I'm sorry.
But the reason that Einstein's theory could explain phenomena Newton's could not, is because his calculations fit what was observed better. Without the math there is no explanatory power.

Now, I'm not asking for a mathematical formula here, but I am asking for more than just an assertion and vague feelgood stories.

Why do you reject what neurology has to say about consciousness and the brain, and what data has Kastrup provided to suggest his model is a better fit?
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Old 25th March 2017, 03:49 AM   #1162
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Nancy Rynes, a geologist who was a radical atheďst, writes about here Near Death Experience in her book 'Awakenings from the light':

"I did drift off as the anesthesiologist gave me my 'coctail'. But it wasn't to the gray state of nothingness that I expected.
I abruptly found myself standing in a spectacular landscape unlike any I'd ever experienced. Warm breezes drifted across my skin. Beautiful vistas of meadows and distant mountains surrounded me. And a pervasive, loving presence overwhelmed me in its intensity.

My mind tried to wrap itself around what was happening since it felt so real. In the back of my awareness I knew I had just gone into surgery, but I wonder If I had somehow dreamed the bike accident and my injuries. This place felt more real then anything on Earth."


This can not be explained by neuroscience at all.
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'Where' is the image in the mind? What 'space' is the image in your mind in? Where is the dream? Where is your inner voice? It's not the same spacetime then where the electrical and chemical pulses are in the brain, causing this image or the dream. The image you see in your mind's eye is in a completely different dimension than where the chemistry in the brain is. (Maarten Vergucht)

Last edited by MaartenVergu; 25th March 2017 at 03:50 AM.
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Old 25th March 2017, 03:55 AM   #1163
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
Nancy Rynes, a geologist who was a radical atheďst, writes about here Near Death Experience in her book 'Awakenings from the light':

"I did drift off as the anesthesiologist gave me my 'coctail'. But it wasn't to the gray state of nothingness that I expected.
I abruptly found myself standing in a spectacular landscape unlike any I'd ever experienced. Warm breezes drifted across my skin. Beautiful vistas of meadows and distant mountains surrounded me. And a pervasive, loving presence overwhelmed me in its intensity.

My mind tried to wrap itself around what was happening since it felt so real. In the back of my awareness I knew I had just gone into surgery, but I wonder If I had somehow dreamed the bike accident and my injuries. This place felt more real then anything on Earth."


This can not be explained by neuroscience at all.

Er she gives the explanation in the first line of the text you quote!
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Old 25th March 2017, 04:04 AM   #1164
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You do not seem to know what general anesthesia does in the brain.

Before his near-death experience, Dr. Rajiv Parti was a wealthy man of science with a successful career as the Chief of Anesthesiology at the Bakersfield Heart Hospital in California.

Dr. Rajiv Parti's near-death experience brought him on a journey through the afterworld, leading to a spiritual awakening that transformed his career, his lifestyle, and even his fundamental beliefs. While he was under general anesthesia.

A CHIEF OF ANESTHESIOLOGY. No one knows more about the effects of general anesthesia then this man who was the chief of anesthesiology.
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'Where' is the image in the mind? What 'space' is the image in your mind in? Where is the dream? Where is your inner voice? It's not the same spacetime then where the electrical and chemical pulses are in the brain, causing this image or the dream. The image you see in your mind's eye is in a completely different dimension than where the chemistry in the brain is. (Maarten Vergucht)

Last edited by MaartenVergu; 25th March 2017 at 04:28 AM.
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Old 25th March 2017, 04:06 AM   #1165
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
So, even from a trained scientist, you do not accept her observations?
Eh?
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Old 25th March 2017, 04:08 AM   #1166
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
double
Since you've now edited your posts I should reply to the new version as well -

Eh? Eh?
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Old 25th March 2017, 07:32 AM   #1167
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Originally Posted by Darat View Post
Eh? Eh?
I feel this approaches the perfect reply to anything Maartenn posts.
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Old 25th March 2017, 09:59 AM   #1168
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
You do not seem to know what general anesthesia does in the brain.

Before his near-death experience, Dr. Rajiv Parti was a wealthy man of science with a successful career as the Chief of Anesthesiology at the Bakersfield Heart Hospital in California.

Dr. Rajiv Parti's near-death experience brought him on a journey through the afterworld, leading to a spiritual awakening that transformed his career, his lifestyle, and even his fundamental beliefs. While he was under general anesthesia.

A CHIEF OF ANESTHESIOLOGY. No one knows more about the effects of general anesthesia then this man who was the chief of anesthesiology.
Well that's your 3rd edit of the post so I'll respond to this one as well.

That's a nice story - nothing to do with what you posted and I responded to but still a nice story.

I think we are now up to 3:

Eh? Eh? Eh?
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Old 25th March 2017, 11:46 AM   #1169
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Does this mean that Maartenn has a triple-Eh? rating?
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Old 25th March 2017, 05:37 PM   #1170
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post

<snip>

[i]"I did drift off as the anesthesiologist gave me my 'coctail'. But it wasn't to the gray state of nothingness that I expected.
I abruptly found myself standing in a spectacular landscape unlike any I'd ever experienced. Warm breezes drifted across my skin. Beautiful vistas of meadows and distant mountains surrounded me. And a pervasive, loving presence overwhelmed me in its intensity.[/I

<snip>

This can not be explained by neuroscience at all.

But probably explained just fine by pharmacology. Do you know what this "coctail" was Maarten? Was it a general anesthetic or an injection given as part of the surgical prep? You don't know, do you? It's common practice to administer an injection of a benzodiazepine such as Ativan prior to surgery. In my experience, you remain conscious but the world is suddenly a very warm and wonderful place.

You are so quick to assume your desired conclusion you ignore other likely explanations. That's not a very skeptical approach you have there, Maarten.
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Old 25th March 2017, 05:37 PM   #1171
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Originally Posted by Mojo View Post
Does this mean that Maartenn has a triple-Eh? rating?
"From the halls of montyzoomer, to the shores of triple-eh..."
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Old 26th March 2017, 12:53 AM   #1172
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
You do not seem to know what general anesthesia does in the brain.

Before his near-death experience, Dr. Rajiv Parti was a wealthy man of science with a successful career as the Chief of Anesthesiology at the Bakersfield Heart Hospital in California.

Dr. Rajiv Parti's near-death experience brought him on a journey through the afterworld, leading to a spiritual awakening that transformed his career, his lifestyle, and even his fundamental beliefs. While he was under general anesthesia.

A CHIEF OF ANESTHESIOLOGY. No one knows more about the effects of general anesthesia then this man who was the chief of anesthesiology.
Strange then, that he does not know this:
Quote:
. Dreams and hallucinations under sedation or anesthesia are well documented.
http://www.medmerits.com/index.php/a...mplications/P4
https://www.caring.com/questions/hal...-after-surgery
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Old 26th March 2017, 01:03 AM   #1173
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Well, Maartenn100's idea is of course that they're not dreams, but a reality more real than real reality. And because you can get to Ultra Reality by switching off parts of the brain, this proves to him that:
-the brain does not produce consciousness
-there's another reality you can travel to without your body.

He does not appear to accept the existence of dreams or hallucinations (when it suits him).
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Old 26th March 2017, 02:00 AM   #1174
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Originally Posted by Porpoise of Life View Post
He does not appear to accept the existence of dreams or hallucinations (when it suits him).

It's necessary for them not to exist so that the apparent experiences "cannot be explained by the current materialistic theories of the brain."
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Old 27th March 2017, 07:16 AM   #1175
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
Nancy Rynes, a geologist who was a radical atheďst, writes about here Near Death Experience in her book 'Awakenings from the light':

"I did drift off as the anesthesiologist gave me my 'coctail'. But it wasn't to the gray state of nothingness that I expected.
I abruptly found myself standing in a spectacular landscape unlike any I'd ever experienced. Warm breezes drifted across my skin. Beautiful vistas of meadows and distant mountains surrounded me. And a pervasive, loving presence overwhelmed me in its intensity.

My mind tried to wrap itself around what was happening since it felt so real. In the back of my awareness I knew I had just gone into surgery, but I wonder If I had somehow dreamed the bike accident and my injuries. This place felt more real then anything on Earth."


This can not be explained by neuroscience at all.
You are quite wrong again because what happened to this person can be easily explained by neuroscience.

People often dream all sorts of things while under the effect of anesthetic.
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Old 27th March 2017, 07:35 AM   #1176
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
Consciousness is not the same as functions of the brain.
'Course it is.

Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
You talk big about consciousness but you cannot even define it?
Dishonest. You're the one making a claim.
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Old 30th March 2017, 04:05 AM   #1177
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Think this through:

Why should a brain create 'a lifereview' where you can feel empathie for others, yourself and can have a metaposition. You get insight in relationships on a higher level.
When the brain is disfunctioning...

People who experienced a lifereview do not talk about hallucinations or constructed stories. They remember what they see in their lifereview and get more insight into the relationships they had with other people.

This is new information from an external source...

Such a complex phenomenon like a lifereview, cannot be explained by current neuroscience.

These people, who experienced a lifereview, got new information from an external source while their brains were disfunctioning. This new information has a great impact on how these experiencers live their lives differently from then on.
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'Where' is the image in the mind? What 'space' is the image in your mind in? Where is the dream? Where is your inner voice? It's not the same spacetime then where the electrical and chemical pulses are in the brain, causing this image or the dream. The image you see in your mind's eye is in a completely different dimension than where the chemistry in the brain is. (Maarten Vergucht)

Last edited by MaartenVergu; 30th March 2017 at 04:19 AM.
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Old 30th March 2017, 04:41 AM   #1178
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
Think this through:

Why should a brain create 'a lifereview' where you can feel empathie for others, yourself and can have a metaposition. You get insight in relationships on a higher level.
When the brain is disfunctioning...

People who experienced a lifereview do not talk about hallucinations or constructed stories. They remember what they see in their lifereview and get more insight into the relationships they had with other people.

This is new information from an external source...

Such a complex phenomenon like a lifereview, cannot be explained by current neuroscience.

These people, who experienced a lifereview, got new information from an external source while their brains were disfunctioning. This new information has a great impact on how these experiencers live their lives differently from then on.
Wrong. All of it.
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Old 30th March 2017, 05:07 AM   #1179
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
Think this through:

Why should a brain create 'a lifereview' where you can feel empathie for others, yourself and can have a metaposition. You get insight in relationships on a higher level.
When the brain is disfunctioning...

People who experienced a lifereview do not talk about hallucinations or constructed stories. They remember what they see in their lifereview and get more insight into the relationships they had with other people.

This is new information from an external source...

Such a complex phenomenon like a lifereview, cannot be explained by current neuroscience.

These people, who experienced a lifereview, got new information from an external source while their brains were disfunctioning. This new information has a great impact on how these experiencers live their lives differently from then on.
Evidence?
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Old 30th March 2017, 05:14 AM   #1180
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Originally Posted by steenkh View Post

Kastrup is destroying his own reputation with papers like this. Or rather, he has chosen to drop his science reputation in order to gain reputation with the woo crowd.
You did not even read the scientific resources of his paper? His many references to scientific research of many respectable neuroscientists?

Have you read and investigated all his scientific references before you jumped to conclusions?

These are his references. Are all these people 'destroying their own reputation' by publishing the results of their research?

References
Black, D. W. and Grant, J. E. 2014. The Essential Companion to the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (5th ed). Washington, DC: American
Psychiatric Publishing.
Blanke, O. et al. 2002. “Stimulating illusory own-body perceptions: The part of the brain
that can induce out-of-body experiences has been located.” Nature 419: 269–270.
Carhart-Harris, R. L. et al. 2012. “Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined
by fMRI studies with psilocybin.” Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences of
the United States of America 109 (6): 2138–2143.
Carhart-Harris, R. L. et al. 2016. “Neural correlates of the LSD experience revealed by
multimodal neuroimaging.” Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences of the
United States of America (PNAS Early Edition), doi: 10.1073/pnas.1518377113.
Chalmers, D. 2003. “Consciousness and its place in nature.” In: S. Stich & F. Warfield (eds.).
Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Mind. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
Cristofori, I. et al. 2016. “Neural correlates of mystical experience.” Neuropsychologia 80:
212-220.
DiSalvo, D. 2012. “When You Inject Spirit Mediums’ Brains with Radioactive Chemicals,
Strange Things Happen.” Forbes 18 November. http://www.forbes.com/sites/
daviddisalvo/2012/11/18/when-you-inject-spirit-mediums-brains-with-radioactivechemicals-
some-really-strange-things-happen/.
Eliade, M. 2009. Rites and Symbols of Initiation: The Mysteries of Birth and Rebirth. New
York, NY: Spring Publications.
Griffiths, R. R. et al. 2006. “Psilocybin can occasion mystical-type experiences
having substantial and sustained personal meaning and spiritual significance.”
Psychopharmacology 187: 268–283.
Kastrup, B. 2016. “What Neuroimaging of the Psychedelic State Tells Us about the Mind-
Body Problem.” Journal of Cognition and Neuroethics 4 (2): 1–9.
Kelly, E. F. et al. 2009. Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century.
Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Koch, C. 2012. “This Is Your Brain on Drugs.” Scientific American Mind 1 May. http://
http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...rain-on-drugs/.
Lythgoe, M. et al. 2005. “Obsessive, prolific artistic output following subarachnoid
hemorrhage.” Neurology 64: 397–398.
Kastrup
41
Macnab, A. J. et al. 2009. “Asphyxial games or ‘the choking game’: a potentially fatal risk
behavior.” Injury Prevention 14: 45–49.
Miller, B. et al. 1998. “Emergence of artistic talent in frontotemporal dementia.” Neurology
51: 978–982.
Miller, B. et al. 2000. “Functional correlates of musical and visual ability in frontotemporal
dementia.” The British Journal of Psychiatry 176: 458–463.
Moorjani, A. 2012. Dying to Be Me: My Journey from Cancer, to Near Death, to True
Healing. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House.
Neal, R. M. 2008. The Path to Addiction: And Other Troubles We Are Born to Know.
Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse.
Palhano-Fontes, F. et al. 2015. “The Psychedelic State Induced by Ayahuasca Modulates
the Activity and Connectivity of the Default Mode Network.” PLoS ONE 10 (2):
e0118143.
Peres, J. et al. 2012. “Neuroimaging during Trance State: A Contribution to the Study of
Dissociation.” PLoS ONE 7 (11): e49360.
Piore, A. 2013. “The Genius Within.” Popular Science March: 46–53.
Retz 2007. “Tripping Without Drugs: experience with Hyperventilation (ID 14651).”
Erowid.org. http://www.erowid.org/exp/14651.
Rhinewine, J. P. and Williams, O. J. 2007. “Holotropic Breathwork: The Potential Role of a
Prolonged, Voluntary Hyperventilation Procedure as an Adjunct to Psychotherapy.”
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 13 (7): 771-776.
Strassman, R. 2001. DMT: The Spirit Molecule. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press.
Strassman, R. et al. 2008. Inner Paths to Outer Space. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press.
Taylor, K. 1994. The Breathwork Experience: Exploration and Healing in Nonordinary
States of Consciousness. Santa Cruz, CA: Hanford Mead.
Taylor, J. B. 2009. My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey. New York,
NY: Viking.
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1357.
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42
Urgesi, C. et al. 2010. “The Spiritual Brain: Selective Cortical Lesions Modulate Human
Self Transcendence.” Neuron 65: 309–319.
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Review of 500 Episodes.” Archives of Neurology 47 (7): 764–776.
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'Where' is the image in the mind? What 'space' is the image in your mind in? Where is the dream? Where is your inner voice? It's not the same spacetime then where the electrical and chemical pulses are in the brain, causing this image or the dream. The image you see in your mind's eye is in a completely different dimension than where the chemistry in the brain is. (Maarten Vergucht)

Last edited by MaartenVergu; 30th March 2017 at 05:41 AM.
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Old 30th March 2017, 05:34 AM   #1181
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
Think this through:

Why should a brain create 'a lifereview' where you can feel empathie for others, yourself and can have a metaposition. You get insight in relationships on a higher level.
When the brain is disfunctioning...

People who experienced a lifereview do not talk about hallucinations or constructed stories. They remember what they see in their lifereview and get more insight into the relationships they had with other people.

This is new information from an external source...

Such a complex phenomenon like a lifereview, cannot be explained by current neuroscience.

These people, who experienced a lifereview, got new information from an external source while their brains were disfunctioning. This new information has a great impact on how these experiencers live their lives differently from then on.
On the packaging of toilet paper hereabouts, which is transparent plastic, they like to print babies. Why babies, I have no idea. Puppies are also popular.

When the plastic deforms, which it does as you remove rolls, the baby's face starts to warp. Very soon you have what looks like a movie-monster with elephantiasis. It leers and winks around folds of Lovecraftian space. Obscene and gibbering.

Think this through:

Why can the print of a baby become a foul monster when the plastic's surface dysfunctions? This is new information from an external source.

You cannot explain this complex phenomenon with our current sciences.
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Old 30th March 2017, 06:19 AM   #1182
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Originally Posted by Donn View Post
On the packaging of toilet paper hereabouts, which is transparent plastic, they like to print babies. Why babies, I have no idea. Puppies are also popular.

When the plastic deforms, which it does as you remove rolls, the baby's face starts to warp. Very soon you have what looks like a movie-monster with elephantiasis. It leers and winks around folds of Lovecraftian space. Obscene and gibbering.

Think this through:

Why can the print of a baby become a foul monster when the plastic's surface dysfunctions? This is new information from an external source.

You cannot explain this complex phenomenon with our current sciences.


Well said!
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Old 30th March 2017, 08:04 AM   #1183
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
Think this through:

Why should a brain create 'a lifereview' where you can feel empathie for others, yourself and can have a metaposition.

Appeal to personal incredulity.

Quote:
You get insight in relationships on a higher level.
When the brain is disfunctioning...

Unsupported assertion.

Quote:
People who experienced a lifereview do not talk about hallucinations or constructed stories. They remember what they see in their lifereview and get more insight into the relationships they had with other people.

This is new information from an external source...

Unsupported assertion.

Quote:
Such a complex phenomenon like a lifereview, cannot be explained by current neuroscience.

These people, who experienced a lifereview, got new information from an external source while their brains were disfunctioning. This new information has a great impact on how these experiencers live their lives differently from then on.

Unsupported assertion.

Hitchens's razor applies.
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Old 30th March 2017, 10:30 AM   #1184
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How many times has one heard some variation of "my whole life flashed before my eyes...?" People report "life review" situations rather routinely when facing death, whether or not brain damage is involved. Or at least the accounts are there. If you disallow the accounts of those whose brains are not damaged, what would lead you to believing the accounts of those whose brains are damaged? It would appear, at least from popular accounts and literature, that imminent death, or the fear of it, often causes people to do a quick review of their lives, and it's not all that uncommon to hear that such an experience brings about a change in one's subsequent behavior and attitudes. When you retell a story under dire circumstances, it's not all that surprising that things acquire a new meaning. Why on earth would it be otherwise? Nothing like mortality to wake you up and put your values in perspective. But what does that mean, other than that? What part of that experience is external? What part of that information is new? We see no evidence that it involves anything but memory. We think what we think, and when our brains are compromised, or when we believe we are about to die, or both, we think differently. Is that news?
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Old 30th March 2017, 10:42 AM   #1185
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Originally Posted by bruto View Post
How many times has one heard some variation of "my whole life flashed before my eyes...?" People report "life review" situations rather routinely when facing death, whether or not brain damage is involved. … Is that news?
Oh dear. You seem to have put actual effort into your post, based on extrapolation from natural occurrences and reasonable conclusions. You run the risk of seeming completely sane and without a single blunt tree-cleaving device to grind.

You are making an exemplar of yourself. Mind how you go!
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Old 30th March 2017, 11:37 AM   #1186
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Originally Posted by Donn View Post
Oh dear. You seem to have put actual effort into your post, based on extrapolation from natural occurrences and reasonable conclusions. You run the risk of seeming completely sane and without a single blunt tree-cleaving device to grind.

You are making an exemplar of yourself. Mind how you go!
Deepest apologies. I forgot for the moment where I was.
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Old 30th March 2017, 01:22 PM   #1187
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post

This can not be explained by neuroscience at all.
What leads you to that conclusion?
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Old 30th March 2017, 01:23 PM   #1188
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
You do not seem to know what general anesthesia does in the brain.
You do know that many people have different responses to anesthesia and where did you find evidence that people don't have dream like states?
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Old 15th April 2017, 02:32 AM   #1189
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"True open-minded skepticism is our greatest ally in trying to better understand the mind-brain connection as it is revealed through the extraordinary lens of near-death experiences (NDEs)." (dr. Eben Alexander)
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'Where' is the image in the mind? What 'space' is the image in your mind in? Where is the dream? Where is your inner voice? It's not the same spacetime then where the electrical and chemical pulses are in the brain, causing this image or the dream. The image you see in your mind's eye is in a completely different dimension than where the chemistry in the brain is. (Maarten Vergucht)
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Old 15th April 2017, 04:12 AM   #1190
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
"True open-minded skepticism is our greatest ally in trying to better understand the mind-brain connection as it is revealed through the extraordinary lens of near-death experiences (NDEs)." (dr. Eben Alexander)
A "true open-minded skeptic" would be able to accept that NDEs are completely intrapsychic, since there's no objective evidence to the contrary.
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Old 16th April 2017, 01:04 AM   #1191
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
"True open-minded skepticism is our greatest ally in trying to better understand the mind-brain connection as it is revealed through the extraordinary lens of near-death experiences (NDEs)." (dr. Eben Alexander)
Yeah, let's believe this guy:
Quote:
In a 2013 investigation of Alexander's story and medical background, Esquire magazine reported that before the publication of Proof of Heaven, Alexander had been terminated or suspended from multiple hospital positions, and had been the subject of several malpractice lawsuits, including at least two involving the alteration of medical records to cover up a medical error.[13][14] The magazine also found what it claimed were discrepancies with regard to Alexander's version of events in the book. Among the discrepancies, according to an account of the Esquire article in Forbes, was that "Alexander writes that he slipped into the coma as a result of severe bacterial meningitis and had no higher brain activity, while a doctor who cared for him says the coma was medically induced and the patient was conscious, though hallucinating".[14][13][15]

Alexander responded: "I wrote a truthful account of my experiences in Proof of Heaven and have acknowledged in the book both my professional and personal accomplishments and my setbacks. I stand by every word in this book and have made its message the purpose of my life. Esquire's cynical article distorts the facts of my 25-year career as a neurosurgeon and is a textbook example of how unsupported assertions and cherry-picked information can be assembled at the expense of the truth."[15]

Alexander's book has been criticized by scientists, including Sam Harris who described Alexander's NDE account as "alarmingly unscientific," and that "everything – absolutely everything – in Alexander's account rests on repeated assertions that his visions of heaven occurred while his cerebral cortex was 'shut down', 'inactivated', 'completely shut down', 'totally offline', and 'stunned to complete inactivity'. The evidence he provides for this claim is not only inadequate – it suggests that he doesn't know anything about the relevant brain science."[16] "Even in cases where the brain is alleged to have shut down, its activity must return if the subject is to survive and describe the experience. In such cases, there is generally no way to establish that the NDE occurred while the brain was offline."[17] Neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks agreed with Harris, saying that "to deny the possibility of any natural explanation for an NDE, as Dr. Alexander does, is more than unscientific – it is antiscientific."..."The one most plausible hypothesis in Dr. Alexander's case...is that his NDE occurred not during his coma, but as he was surfacing from the coma and his cortex was returning to full function. It is curious that he does not allow this obvious and natural explanation, but instead insists on a supernatural one."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eben_Alexander_(author)
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Old 16th April 2017, 06:54 AM   #1192
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So, true open minded skepticism is probably defined by Maarten as 'whatever agrees with me, or at least leaves enough wiggle room so I don't have to answer hard questions'.
Whereas asking for evidence, not assuming the existence of magic where natural explanations suffice, and arguing with Maarten are seen as 'evil closed minded pseudo-skepticism'.
A transparent ploy to dismiss everyone who doesn't agree with him as petty and shortsighted.

Maartenn100... Most of us would be delighted if evidence for an afterlife shows up, but it just isn't there. No amount of wishful thinking or name calling is going to make evidence appear.
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Old 30th July 2018, 07:50 AM   #1193
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This is a recent and remarkable story from an anesthesiologist:

The patient saw the serial numbers from a position from above which he could not have seen when he was under anaesthesia. The serial numbers were correct.

For more information and comments, you can go to this Facebookpage:
click here
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'Where' is the image in the mind? What 'space' is the image in your mind in? Where is the dream? Where is your inner voice? It's not the same spacetime then where the electrical and chemical pulses are in the brain, causing this image or the dream. The image you see in your mind's eye is in a completely different dimension than where the chemistry in the brain is. (Maarten Vergucht)

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Old 30th July 2018, 08:49 AM   #1194
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
This is a recent and remarkable story from an anesthesiologist:

The patient saw the serial numbers from a position from above which he could not have seen when he was under anaesthesia. The serial numbers were correct.

For more information and comments, you can go to this Facebookpage:
click here
anecdote <> data
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Old 30th July 2018, 09:46 AM   #1195
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To be able to provide the next nobel prize in science is not a criterium for this forum, I hope. For a forum like this, hundreds of independent anecdotical evidence is suficient to have a good argument in an open discussion. No one here can provide the next nobel prize, so don't expect this from other people on the forum here when they give arguments pro a certain position.
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'Where' is the image in the mind? What 'space' is the image in your mind in? Where is the dream? Where is your inner voice? It's not the same spacetime then where the electrical and chemical pulses are in the brain, causing this image or the dream. The image you see in your mind's eye is in a completely different dimension than where the chemistry in the brain is. (Maarten Vergucht)

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Old 31st July 2018, 01:50 AM   #1196
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
This is a recent and remarkable story from an anesthesiologist:

The patient saw the serial numbers from a position from above which he could not have seen when he was under anaesthesia. The serial numbers were correct.

How did the doctor know that the serial numbers were correct?
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Old 31st July 2018, 02:01 AM   #1197
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Originally Posted by Mojo View Post
How did the doctor know that the serial numbers were correct?
Read his comment here on Facebook how he checked the numbers:

see here on Facebook


Christopher Yerington

"I did need a step stool to see the numbers. You could only pull the lights down so far - ceiling mounted on adjustable arms. I did have to wait until the OR was done be used the day I checked. I just talked to my wife (also an anesthesiologist - we met in residency) about this case because of the incredible response in the Quora community - like 100,000 views which is far more than I've received previously for any answer. She remembers the 'serial' numbers as being the Ohio State University identifier numbers - like facility code numbers for equipment. My memory is that they were each 3-4 letters followed by a couple series of numbers. I had written them down and carried them in my front scrubs pocket... thinking, at the time, it was insane. One of the nurses in the OR did show me that you could, if you manipulated the arm in one way and rotated the light housing completely you could almost invert the whole thing and see the back... they do that for cleaning. Hope that helps."

see here on Facebook
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'Where' is the image in the mind? What 'space' is the image in your mind in? Where is the dream? Where is your inner voice? It's not the same spacetime then where the electrical and chemical pulses are in the brain, causing this image or the dream. The image you see in your mind's eye is in a completely different dimension than where the chemistry in the brain is. (Maarten Vergucht)
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Old 31st July 2018, 02:11 AM   #1198
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And the name of that marine? Albert Einstein!

ETA: okay, more seriously... Let's say we find this anecdote compelling.
How would you go about designing a test to check if OOBEs are possible?
Because even an interesting anecdote is only an anecdote, and even doctors can be fooled, or lie, or be mistaken.

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Old 31st July 2018, 02:43 AM   #1199
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This is not just one anecdote. It's one among many in the literature of out of body experiences and veridical perception. So, there are a lot of indications already

Sam Parnia is busy with the second part of the Aware Study. Each hospital installs high shelves in areas where cardiac arrest resuscitation is likely to happen, such as emergency rooms and intensive care wards. Each shelf holds one visual image that faces upwards and therefore is only visible from a vantage point near the ceiling. He has announced that the study will now go on until 2020, when a results presentation will be made to the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians. It will be bring it in line to match the length, and hopefully breadth of the first AWARE. A larger data pool and more analysis means better observations and deductions.
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'Where' is the image in the mind? What 'space' is the image in your mind in? Where is the dream? Where is your inner voice? It's not the same spacetime then where the electrical and chemical pulses are in the brain, causing this image or the dream. The image you see in your mind's eye is in a completely different dimension than where the chemistry in the brain is. (Maarten Vergucht)

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Old 31st July 2018, 02:54 AM   #1200
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Originally Posted by Maartenn100 View Post
Read his comment here on Facebook how he checked the numbers:

see here on Facebook


Christopher Yerington

"I did need a step stool to see the numbers. You could only pull the lights down so far - ceiling mounted on adjustable arms. I did have to wait until the OR was done be used the day I checked. I just talked to my wife (also an anesthesiologist - we met in residency) about this case because of the incredible response in the Quora community - like 100,000 views which is far more than I've received previously for any answer. She remembers the 'serial' numbers as being the Ohio State University identifier numbers - like facility code numbers for equipment. My memory is that they were each 3-4 letters followed by a couple series of numbers. I had written them down and carried them in my front scrubs pocket... thinking, at the time, it was insane. One of the nurses in the OR did show me that you could, if you manipulated the arm in one way and rotated the light housing completely you could almost invert the whole thing and see the back... they do that for cleaning. Hope that helps."

see here on Facebook

So there are ways of finding out the numbers other than having an OOBE.
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