[extropy-chat] Angel Snot was Near Death Experiences: a scientific approach

The Avantguardian avantguardian2020 at yahoo.com
Mon Feb 23 22:29:39 UTC 2004



Russell Evermore <nanowave at shaw.ca> wrote:
 What is the proposed substrate that carries away our pattern at
the "moment" of death? Oxygen, nitrogen, helium? Nope. Just the
gossamer threads of angel snot.


      I think that it would be a mistake to assume that the pattern that is carried away at death (if there is one) would need a substrate. This reminds me of the old physical theory of "ether" being needed as a medium to explain the propagation of electromagnetic radiation. It is entirely conceivable to those who maintain an open mind that the so called "soul" may be an interference pattern of electromagnetic or quantum nature that can maintain its integrity apart from any substrate. I don't have experimental proof so I don't expect to sway any hard headed opinions on this.

 I do however know that there was a series of experiments performed by a physician named MacDougall who published his results in both the "New Yorker" and "The American Medical Journal" in 1907. He used a specially built death-bed/beam balance to measure the patient's mass. Each of the six patients that died on his death bed lost of mass of 21 grams. This loss of mass apparently happened suddenly enough to cause the beam to slam into the beam stop. I googled it and got this http://www.snopes.com/religion/soulweight.asp          

Now I am not certain that this MacDougal's results are accurate but I do suggest that people on this list do not completely dismiss the empirical pursuit of the soul as it were as a complete joke. I for one would like to see some modern experiments along those lines with a larger sample size. Moreover there are certain people on the list (you know who you are) need to refrain from consistently insulting the intelligences of people on this list who post articles of interest to those who have a spritual bent such as "dualists" "christians" or " zen neovitalistic pantheists" such as myself. In doing so you are exhibiting a prejudice as bad as antisemitism. Especially with all the whining on the list about popularizing "extropianism" or going mainstream with it. Considering that about 60% of the USA and just over 50% of all scientists consider themselves to be spiritual, you should be trying to ally with spiritualists and not alienating them. After all living in a democracy, like it or
 not, they control things.

Of course if you guys are ok with remaining an elitist think tank on the fringes of society at large then that's ok too.  Just decide one way or another. 



The Avantguardian 


"He stands like some sort of pagan god or deposed tyrant. Staring out over the city he's sworn to . . .to stare out over and it's evident just by looking at him that he's got some pretty heavy things on his mind."

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