[Paleopsych] spirituality and science

[Michael Christopher]

Lynn says:
>>Michael, this is a common reaction. But our
assumptions limit what we can see; if we assume that
there is no ghost to exit the machine, we are 
unable to see the evidence.<<

--If we assume the opposite, we are unable to see the
contradictions. Assumptions should be avoided, in
EITHER direction. If someone believes in the tooth
fairy, they're going to find SOME evidence for it,
they'll just discount all the simpler explanations,
finding them unsatisfying on an emotional level.

>>The actual question has been studied pretty 
thoroughly, and those who have spend a good deal of
time investigating NDEs in detail end up convinced
that the ghost did escape the machine.<<

--I doubt ALL the people who experienced them came to
the same conclusion. What you mean is, "I focus on
those who came to the conclusion that satisfies me." I
think there are a variety of views on NDEs. Those who
have had the same subjective experiences may have come
to different intellectual conclusions about what those
experiences meant.

>>Best example: Melvin Morse. If you read his series
of books, you see an amazing personal
transformation.<<

--I had some amazing personal transformations with LSD
in my 20's. I think just about anything that opens
people up to a larger context than their habitual,
ordinary life will have a profound effect, regardless
of what conclusions they draw about the origin or
meaning of the experience. Islam has changed lives,
that does not mean Islam is entirely true. Buddhism
also changes lives. So does leaving a religion behind.
Whether an experience is literally, objectively true
has little to do with whether it has an effect on a
person's life or not.

michael



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