if you think testimony isn’t evidence, then you’re not just wrong—
— Sam26
It's not that "testimony isn't evidence", it's that "testimony" is mostly unreliable just like introspection. Such subjective accounts of extraordinary claims absent extraordinary evidence (or at least objective corroboration) are neither credible nor compelling to most nongullible, secular thinkers who have not had an alleged "NDE" themselves. In fact, it's dogmatic of you, Sam, to believe "testimony of NDE" is sufficient evidence for believing NDEs happen or that they prove "consciousness survives brain death" (re: afterlife). — 180 Proof
You asked what would convince me and I've told you. In contrast to the above: laboratory-solid, hypothetico-deductively (i.e. experimentally)-solid. Otherwise, it's more plausible to accept that accounts of "NDEs" are confabulatory / hallucinatory rather than veridical. Believe whatever you like, Sam, but that doesn't change the fact that reliable, scientific evidence for "survival" is LACKING.The case for survival is not fringe; it is courtroom-solid, and logically it's inductively solid. — Sam26
One of the most significant implications of this framework concerns the classical problem of evil: how can ultimate reality be fundamentally loving while permitting extreme suffering? My understanding suggests a resolution based on the distinction between the human person and our core consciousness.
At our essential level, consciousness cannot be harmed. What we fundamentally are, the aware, loving, creative activity that constitutes our deepest identity, remains invulnerable regardless of what happens to the temporary human persona. This means that all suffering, no matter how intense, occurs at the experiential rather than ontological level. The human character suffers, but the conscious being playing that character remains fundamentally unharmed.
This distinction transforms our understanding of suffering entirely. Rather than being evidence against a loving reality, suffering becomes compatible with ultimate care because nothing truly destructive happens to what we essentially are. It's analogous to an actor playing a tragic role; the character may experience extreme hardship, but the actor remains safe throughout the performance — Sam26
the perspective you have here is vastly different from the one you’ll hold in base reality. From here, our view is limited. — Sam26
:roll: Yeah, and if "reincarnations", "alien abductions" or "astral projections" are veridical, then ... :sparkle:... if NDEs are veridical, then the standard mind–brain equivalence is challenged - along with the assumption that humans are wholly or simply physical ... the metaphysical implications can’t simply be wished away. — Wayfarer
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