About this episode

The episode explores whether near-death experiences provide evidence of consciousness surviving death or if they can be explained by brain activity during dying.

Near-death experiences have long challenged our understanding of consciousness and mortality. Some who come close to death report leaving their bodies, encountering vivid visions, or feeling profound peace. Are these experiences evidence that consciousness can survive death — or can they be explained by what happens in a dying brain? This 2014 debate is one we're still thinking about today. We ask whether science can reveal what, if anything, awaits us after we die.  Arguing Yes: Eben Alexander, Former Neurosurgeon; Author of "Proof of Heaven"  Raymond Moody, Medical Doctor; Author of "Life After Life"  Arguing No:  Sean Carroll, Physicist & Writer  Steven Novella, Academic Neurologist at the Yale School of Medicine  Emmy award-winning journalist John Donvan moderates  Join the conversation on Substack—share your perspective on this episode and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for curated insights from our debaters, moderators, and staff.  Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and TikTok to stay connected with our mission and ongoing…

People in this episode

Host: John Donvan

Guests: Eben Alexander, Raymond Moody, Sean Carroll, Steven Novella

Topics covered

• near-death experiences
• consciousness
• mortality
• science
• debate

Keywords

• near-death experiences
• consciousness
• mortality
• Eben Alexander
• Raymond Moody
• Sean Carroll
• Steven Novella

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Proof of Heaven, Life After Life

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