NDEs can’t be real because we have proven that the brain produces consciousness – We have done no such thing. The neural correlates of consciousness do not logically entail that consciousness is a by-product of brain activity. The discovery of the neural correlates of consciousness are perfectly consistent with the hypothesis that the brain is a receiver of consciousness rather than being the producer of it. It is perfectly reasonable to suppose however that the brain moulds the nature of our conscious experience. We know for instance that our sense of time and space are created within the brain (interestingly consistent with the NDEers claim it is the mind which creates the illusion of time and space.) We also know from various psychology studies that what we 'see' is influenced by our expectations.
The fact that consciousness switches off under certain conditions (for instance during anaesthesia) shows it is the brain which produces consciousness. Also it appears that consciousness can be switched off by stopping the brain stem from working. Isn’t all this proof that consciousness has a biological basis? – I can also switch off my TV set but the subsequent loss of picture doesn’t change the fact that the source of the signal comes from outside the television. However it might still be reasonable to ask why a loss of consciousness occurs during this time. Why doesn’t consciousness still exist? After all the TV signal still exists when the TV set is switched off. If someone is in an unconscious state for say a period of half an hour where has their consciousness gone during this period of time?
Well the thing to remember when asking a question such as this is that there is no objective time (special relativity) . Also it has been convincingly shown that our sense of time is created from within the temporal lobe of the brain. So asking what has happened to someone’s consciousness for a period of half an hour is pretty much equivalent to asking what has happened to someone’s consciousness for the period of one nanosecond. It doesn’t really have any objective meaning. Our sense of time is inextricably linked to consciousness itself.
(more to come)
Well the thing to remember when asking a question such as this is that there is no objective time (special relativity) . Also it has been convincingly shown that our sense of time is created from within the temporal lobe of the brain. So asking what has happened to someone’s consciousness for a period of half an hour is pretty much equivalent to asking what has happened to someone’s consciousness for the period of one nanosecond. It doesn’t really have any objective meaning. Our sense of time is inextricably linked to consciousness itself.
(more to come)
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