Avoiding the columbus confusion: An Ockhamish view of near-death research |
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Authors: | John Wren-Lewis |
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Institution: | (1) Honorary Associate of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia;(2) 1/22 Cliffbrook Parade, 2031 Clovelly, New South Wales, Australia |
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Abstract: | The positive aftereffects of near-death experiences (NDEs) are sometimes regarded as due to the possibility that they may be visions of the beyond. But that notion could be a serious misconception, similar to what I call the Columbus Confusion. Five hundred years ago, Christopher Columbus's belief that he had found a new route to India prevented him from realizing that he had discovered a new continent. Likewise, contemporary belief that NDEs are glimpses of an afterlife may prevent us from realizing their more profound nature. Belief in an afterlife has not historically brought humanity a high quality of life, but NDEs seem reliably to do so, and may offer important clues about why the expanded vitality, the eternity-consciousness, of the mystics is commonly blocked. Those clues are obscured by popular emphasis on that minority of NDEs that resemble otherworld journeys. |
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