Consciousness after Death

Journeying into the otherworld

I recently mentioned that I was entering the Bigelow Institute contest. They offer substantial prizes for essays that present the most convincing case for the continuity of human consciousness after physical death. After some dithering, I finally plunged into the task at hand. Whether or not I win one of the prizes, the thought experiment is proving to be deeply rewarding and fascinating. 

I owe a debt of gratitude to paid subscribers of my newsletter: Your support gives me time to focus on subjects like this, which is a great privilege. I explored the continuity of consciousness or the survivalist hypothesis, to some extent, in 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl. I always meant to come back to this theme, to take a much deeper dive. Now I am doing so. For paid subscribers, I will make an early draft of the essay available soon. I would appreciate any thoughts, ideas, and comments. 

I find this to be one of the most important subjects we can investigate — and it is extraordinary how little attention goes to this question. Why is it so important? Obviously it is something that concerns each of us on the deepest level. We can’t help but wonder if we forfeit all identity at death, entering a permanent oblivion. We also wonder about the fate of our friends and loved ones who pass beyond the veil. 

The importance of the survivalist hypothesis goes beyond the individual. It impacts the value structure, intention, and future of society as a whole. At the moment, our civilization is built upon the materialist, technological worldview which sees consciousness as an epiphenomen of brain activity and physical death as total cessation. For this reason, we seek to prolong lifespans to the absolute limit. Our collective nonbelief in any form of “hereafter” or reincarnation engenders a social model focused on worldly success, hyper-individualism and competition. The underlying nihilism also makes it impossible to enact solutions to our ecological crisis, which require shared sacrifice. 

It turns out there is an astonishingly vast body of research and literature on the various kinds of evidence indicating continuity. The evidence falls into different categories: Near Death Experiences (NDEs), spontaneous past life recall in early childhood (reincarnation), mediumship, and apparitions of the dead appearing to the living are some of the main areas. The data in every area is very strong and has been for decades. Yet the prevailing worldview doesn’t change. Investigating this subject, we have to ask why this is the case. 

One reason, of course, is that the paradigm and worldview of scientific materialism is entrenched in our institutions. Those in the establishment who have spent their lives holding this viewpoint are not willing to interrogate it or let alone give it up. To do so would cost them their position and prestige. 

Another reason is that proving the existence of consciousness after death is nothing like proving a mathematical equation or physics postulate. From an ultra-skeptical perspective, no argument can be ultimately convincing. When we step back, we may remember that we do not even know for certain that any other person or being possesses consciousness outside of ourselves. As even Descartes realized, the world could be entirely a simulation. The consciousness of other beings is an inference we make, based on many kinds of evidence. 

Whether or not we accept the evidence for continuity after death depends on our willingness to carefully think through the various forms of evidence available. It requires our active participation and reasoning. Chris Carter has written a wonderful trilogy of books on this topic, exploring it from a grounded philosophical perspective, dismantling the skeptic position. These books are Science and Psychic Phenomena, Science and the Near-Death Experience, and Science and the After-Life Experience. I review his conclusions in my upcoming essay. 

My belief is that we can’t dethrone reductive scientific materialism, for once and for all, until we have a new coherent paradigm that replaces it. I believe that this alternative has been presented in the works of thinkers like Amit Goswami and Rudolf Steiner, who both named it “monistic idealism.” According to monistic idealism, there isn’t a dualistic split between mind and matter. Consciousness is the fundamental reality, with space, time, and materiality its transitory projections. 

This polar reversal in paradigm fits all of the data, including psychic and paranormal experiences that cannot be allowed under materialism. As Goswami puts it, we can’t have a science of consciousness, because consciousness is the primary ground of all experience. Instead, we must develop a science within consciousness. 

Frederic Myers

Some of the best work investigating survivalism, it turns out, occurred in the late 19th Century. In researching my essay, I was amazed to discover Frederic Myers, one of the founders of the Society of Psychic Reseach and a colleague of William James. Myers wrote a well-argued, voluminously researched 1,200 page book, posthumously published, titled Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death. Equally interesting — to me anyway — is that Myers promised his Society cofounder Oliver Lodge that he would seek to communicate after his own death. He followed through on this promise, dictating volumes of material through a number of mediums. 

It turns out that many depictions of the afterworld (or afterworlds, as it appears we pass through a number of them), as described through mediums, have similarities. There is a realm where we maintain a physical body similar to what we have here, but much lighter and more volatile. There are other realms where our creative and imaginative forces become vastly more powerful. 

According to the disincarnate Myers: “Developing psychic entities” such as human beings “must gather … numberless experiences, manifest and express themselves in uncountable forms before they attain to completion.” As we undergo these various incarnations and experiences, we eventually “take on divine attributes.” Myers’ spirit claims there is purpose to existence and a reason for the universe: “The evolution of mind in matter.” The idea is similar to philosopher Henri Bergson’s proposition that the universe is “a machine to make Gods.” 

What is thrilling for me (and I hope for you too) is that the more deeply I research this area, the more I am finding the survivalist hypothesis to be overwhelmingly likely. I will present my extended reasoning for this in my long essay. I look forward to sharing it with all of you, once it is complete. 

Please join my Summer writing workshop:

The Creative Word: How to Write Great Nonfiction

An online seminar and writing workshop with Daniel Pinchbeck, meeting 6 Sundays starting July 18

The purpose of this course is to help you break through your blockages, find your voice, and powerfully express your unique truth.  

Have you always wanted to write your book, memoir, or manifesto? Have you made attempts, only to find that something blocks you or holds you back?

Do you write blogs, essays or social media posts, but wish they connected more deeply with a larger audience? 

Then this course is for you.

We meet for six Sundays, starting July 18. Each week, we focus on one aspect of the writing process: 

Draw from your life experience

Discover the components shared by all great writing

Find subject matter that inspires you

Define your style and voice as a writer

Along the way, we explore many other questions, such as: How do you define your audience? What makes readers pay attention to what you have to say? In writing about yourself, when is personal honesty brave and authentic? When does it become unnecessarily confessional?

In this time of rapid transformation, we need skilled storytellers and critical thinkers who can give a voice to the collective.

Writing resembles other crafts and technical skills. Each week, we explore an essential aspect of the writing process. There will be a presentation followed by a group discussion. We will study examples from authors such as Virginia Woolf, Vladimir Nabokov, James Baldwin, Oscar Wilde, Henry Miller, Anais Nin and David Foster Wallace, among others. We also review essays on the writing process for useful insights and tangible takeaways. 

The main focus of this course is creative nonfiction including memoirs and personal essays. However, the tools we explore can be applied to a range of writing, from fiction to screenwriting to blog posts to articles. 

You can choose from different enrollment options, depending on what level of criticism, editing, and feedback you want.

Six weeks, starting Sunday July 18th.
One three-hour live online class per week.
Sundays from 12 pm - 3 pm EST / 9 am - 12 pm PST / 6 pm - 9 pm CET
All classes are recorded and will be available for playback.

ALL INFORMATION HERE.

REDUCED PRICE FOR PAID SUBSCRIBERS