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Are Near-Death Experiences Veridical? a Philosophical Inquiry

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Are Near-Death Experiences Veridical? a Philosophical Inquiry Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 6-28-2021 1:30 PM Are Near-Death Experiences Veridical? A Philosophical Inquiry Monika J. Mandoki, The University of Western Ontario Supervisor: Baruss, Imants, The University of Western Ontario Co-Supervisor: Calcagno, Antonio, The University of Western Ontario A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Theory and Criticism © Monika J. Mandoki 2021 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Metaphysics Commons Recommended Citation Mandoki, Monika J., "Are Near-Death Experiences Veridical? A Philosophical Inquiry" (2021). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 7895. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/7895 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract This project is a philosophical investigation into near-death experiences (NDEs). It attempts to answer the central question: Are near-death experiences veridical? The aim of my work is to defend the veridicality of near-death experiences within the framework of idealism. However, this aim is not achieved simply by adopting an idealist standpoint. Instead, I present arguments for the reason this idealist standpoint is necessary. First, I argue that the traditional way of assessing near-death experiences is often oversimplified and carries an unnecessary bias in favour of a materialist interpretation, which eventually sets it up for a failure to demonstrate that an afterlife state can exist. Once this materialist bias is examined, I make an attempt to level the playing field, so to speak, to see where this equal level can take the discussion. Ultimately, I argue that it is best to fit all evidence and arguments into a theory that best explains near-death experiences; and, the theory that best explains these experiences is philosophical idealism. At the end, I provide examples of this theory and also a synthesized version of the best imaginable theory to show in what way(s) these idealist theories can explain near-death experiences and in what way(s) near-death experiences can be demonstrated to be veridical in nature. Key Words: near-death experiences, death, philosophy, metaphysics, ontology, epistemology, idealism, materialism, dualism, Afterlife Hypothesis, Dying Brain Hypothesis, perception, mind, consciousness, altered states of consciousness, mysticism ii Summary for Lay Audience This project is a philosophical investigation into near-death experiences (NDEs). It attempts to answer the central question: Are near-death experiences veridical? "Veridical" comes from the Latin words verus and dicere, which means truth telling. Instead of using the word "real", which may be easily misunderstood, I use the word "veridical" to ask in what way(s) near-death experiences can be said to be truth telling. The aim of my work is to defend the veridicality of near-death experiences within the framework of idealism. Philosophical idealism, roughly stated, is the theory that reality is consciousness or mind-created and possibly consciousness or mind-dependent. However, the aim of my work is not achieved simply by adopting an idealist standpoint. Instead, I present arguments for the reason this idealist standpoint is necessary. First, I argue that the traditional way of assessing near-death experiences is often oversimplified and carries an unnecessary bias in favour of a materialist interpretation, which eventually sets it up for a failure to demonstrate that an afterlife state can exist. Here, the materialist interpretation refers to the theory of philosophical materialism according to which reality is strictly made of matter and nothing exists above and beyond matter. Once this materialist bias is examined, I make an attempt to level the playing field, so to speak, to see where this equal level can take the discussion. Ultimately, I argue that it is best to fit all evidence and arguments into a theory that best explains near-death experiences; and, the theory that best explains these experiences is philosophical idealism. At the end, I provide examples of this theory and also a synthesized version of the best imaginable theory to show in what way(s) these idealist theories can explain near-death experiences and in what way(s) near-death experiences can be demonstrated to be veridical in nature. Since, according to this theory, consciousness or the mind is the basic building block of reality, simply put, there is life after death. iii Acknowledgements Plenty of people provided me with love, help, guidance, encouragement, inspiration, motivation, laughter and, at times, a shoulder to cry on. Without them, this work would not have been realized. My deepest thanks go to the following people: • My loving and supporting husband, Joseph Wiesler. His love and support kept me going. • My wonderful family members: my mother, Elisabeth Jusztin; my sister, Katalin Vadlovo; my nephew, Anthony Santa. They kept motivating me by endlessly asking the question, "When will your thesis be finally done?" • My main thesis supervisor, Dr. Imants Barušs. Without his guidance, mentoring and encouragement, this work would never have been written. Words cannot express how grateful I am to his presence in my life! He is the absolute best thesis supervisor anybody can ask for. • My second thesis supervisor, Dr. Antonio Calcagno. He encouraged me to keep going and made sure that every "t" in my work was properly crossed and every "i" was properly dotted. • My examiners who agreed to read and study my work: Dr. Laura Béres, Dr. Helen Fielding, Dr. Mary Helen McMurran, and Dr. Marjorie Woolacott. • The Centre for the Study of Theory and Criticism at Western University for allowing me to write my PhD thesis on this unique topic. I would like to mention Melanie Caldwell, the program coordinator, by name and thank her for answering my endless emails about departmental procedures. • My extended family members and my friends who shall remain nameless. • The Goddess, the female divine expression of the All-There-Is. iv Table of Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Summary for Lay Audience ......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... v List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................. viii INTRODUCTION: THE QUESTION OF VERIDICALITY ...................................................................... 1 What Are Near-Death Experiences? ......................................................................................................... 2 What is Veridicality? .............................................................................................................................. 14 CHAPTER 1: THE TRADITIONAL APPROACH TO ASSESSING THE VERIDICALITY OF NEAR- DEATH EXPERIENCES ........................................................................................................................... 20 The Afterlife Hypothesis versus the Dying Brain Hypothesis ................................................................ 21 Possible Ways To Interpret Veridicality ................................................................................................. 24 The Time of Near-Death Experiences .................................................................................................... 31 Understanding Dying, Death and the Afterlife: The Definition of Death ............................................... 36 The Brain Criterion: The Time of Death ................................................................................................ 43 The Question of Survival: The Time of Near-Death Experiences .......................................................... 50 A Scientific Calculation: The Timing of Near-Death Experiences......................................................... 54 The Ideal Case: A Time to Give Up on Veridicality? ............................................................................. 62 CHAPTER 2: THE DOMINANCE OF MATERIALISM ......................................................................... 70 The Rise of Materialism .......................................................................................................................... 72 Plato .................................................................................................................................................... 72 Aristotle............................................................................................................................................... 74 Descartes ............................................................................................................................................. 75 Materialism ........................................................................................................................................
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