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Title: Life After Death Post by: Phoenix on 2012-10-10, 02:23 Quote A prominent scientist who had previously dismissed the possibility of the afterlife says he has reconsidered his belief after experiencing an out of body experience which has convinced him that heaven exists. Dr Eben Alexander, a Harvard-educated neurosurgeon, fell into a coma for seven days in 2008 after contracting meningitis. During his illness Dr Alexander says that the part of his brain which controls human thought and emotion "shut down" and that he then experienced "something so profound that it gave me a scientific reason to believe in consciousness after death." http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9597345/Afterlife-exists-says-top-brain-surgeon.html I find this story particularly interesting as it is unique to find a neuroscience expert put in the position of having a near-death experience. It is also interest to note that prior to experiencing this that the scientist in question categorically dismissed such occurrences in favor of prevailing scientific thought. There is an old saying, "you had to be there", implying that without experiencing something for one's self it is impossible to understand. This offers a rare chance for scientific insight into a phenomenon that is typically beyond the reach of science. My question would be, is the scientific community ready for such a possibility, or will this particular scientist be ostracized by his peers? It will be interesting to see how this plays out. |