Out-of-Body and Near-Death Experiences: Brain-State Phenomena or Glimpses of Immortality? (Oxford Theological Monographs)

336 Pages·2010·1.4 MB·English

by  Michael N. Marsh

OXFORD THEOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
Editorial Committee
M. McC. ADAMS N. J. BIGGAR
J. BARTON M. J. EDWARDS
P S. FIDDES D. N. J. MACCULLOCH
C. C. ROWLAND
OXFORD THEOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
TIME AND ETERNITY IN MID-THIRTEENTH-CENTURY THOUGHT
Rory Fox (2006)
THESPECIFICATIONOFHUMANACTIONSINSTTHOMASAQUINAS
Joseph Pilsner (2006)
THE WORLDVIEWOF PERSONALISM
Origins and Early Development
Jan Olof Bengtsson (2006)
THE EUSEBIANS
ThePolemicofAthanasiusof AlexandriaandtheConstructionof the‘Arian
Controversy’
David M. Gwynn (2006)
CHRISTAS MEDIATOR
A studyoftheTheologies ofEusebius ofCaesarea,Marcellusof Ancyra,and
Anthanasius of Alexandria
Jon M. Robertson (2007)
RIGHTEOUS JEHUAND HIS EVIL HEIRS
The Deuteronomist’s Negative Perspective on Dynastic Succession
David T. Lamb (2007)
SEXUAL & MARITAL METAPHORS IN HOSEA, JEREMIAH, ISAIAH,
AND EZEKIEL
Sharon Moughtin-Mumby (2008)
THE SOTERIOLOGYOF LEO THE GREAT
Bernard Green (2008)
ANTI-ARMINIANS
The Anglican Reformed Tradition from Charles II to Georges I Stephen
Hampton (2008)
THETHEOLOGICALEPISTEMOLOGYOFAUGUSTINE’SDETRINITATE
Luigi Gioia (2008)
THE SONG OF SONGS AND THE EROS OF GOD
A Study in Biblical Intertextuality Edme´e Kingsmill (2009)
ROBERT SPAEMANN’S PHILOSOPHYOF THE HUMAN PERSON
Nature, Freedom, and the Critique of Modernity Holger Zaborowski (2009)
Out-of-Body and
Near-Death Experiences
Brain-State Phenomena or
Glimpses of Immortality?
MICHAEL N. MARSH
1
3
GreatClarendonStreet,Oxfordox26dp
OxfordUniversityPressisadepartmentoftheUniversityofOxford.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’sobjectiveofexcellenceinresearch,scholarship,
andeducationbypublishingworldwidein
Oxford NewYork
Auckland CapeTown DaresSalaam HongKong Karachi
KualaLumpur Madrid Melbourne MexicoCity Nairobi
NewDelhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto
Withofficesin
Argentina Austria Brazil Chile CzechRepublic France Greece
Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore
SouthKorea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
OxfordisaregisteredtrademarkofOxfordUniversityPress
intheUKandincertainothercountries
PublishedintheUnitedStates
byOxfordUniversityPressInc.,NewYork
#MichaelN.Marsh2010
Themoralrightsoftheauthorhavebeenasserted
DatabaserightOxfordUniversityPress(maker)
Firstpublished2010
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,
storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,
withoutthepriorpermissioninwritingofOxfordUniversityPress,
orasexpresslypermittedbylaw,orundertermsagreedwiththeappropriate
reprographicsrightsorganization.Enquiriesconcerningreproduction
outsidethescopeoftheaboveshouldbesenttotheRightsDepartment,
OxfordUniversityPress,attheaddressabove
Youmustnotcirculatethisbookinanyotherbindingorcover
andyoumustimposethesameconditiononanyacquirer
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
Dataavailable
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Dataavailable
TypesetbySPIPublisherServices,Pondicherry,India
PrintedinGreatBritain
onacidfreepaperby
MPGBooksGroup,BodminandKing’sLynn
ISBN 978 0 19 957150 5
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Contents
Preface ix
ListofFigures xi
ListofAbbreviations xii
Introduction:ProspectsforLifeAfterDeath xv
1 GettingaSenseoftheOther-WorldlyDomain 1
1. HavingthatKindofFeeling:BeingOut-of-Bodyand
Other-Worldly 1
2. SpecificCase-Studies 10
2 SurveyingPastHorizons 28
1. MakingSenseoftheCollectiveECENarrative 28
2. CulturalRelativity:ECEinHistoricalandGeographicalContext 34
3. TheArgumentSoFar 49
3 Authors’InterpretationsofECEPhenomenology 53
1. Authors’PerspectivesonSubjects’Narratives:TheBig
CosmicPicture 54
2. TheProblemofPre-CognitionandAcquiredPsychicalPowers 62
3. TheFutureTask 68
4 ObjectiveAnalysesintoECESubjectivity 71
1. InitialApproachestoaMoreObjectiveAccountofECE
Phenomenology 72
2. GrammaticalCritiqueofECENarrative:SemanticsandSyntax 79
3. TheIntrusionofCognitiveActivity intotheSubjective
WorldofECE 86
4. EvidencethatPre-existingCognitiveParadigmsInfluence
theExperientialContoursofECE 92
5. ARe-ClassificationofOBandNDExperientialPhenomenology 95
5 Conscious-Awareness:Life’sIllusoryLegacy 98
1. TheIllusoryFoundationsofConscious-Awareness 98
2. ‘PhantomLimb’Phenomenology:TheNeurophysiologyof
Absence 102
6 TheTemporo-ParietalCortex:TheConfiguringof
Ego-/ParacentricBodySpace 106
1. ThePosteriorParietalCortexandBody-Image 107
vi Contents
2. AbnormalDisturbancesofBody-Image 111
3. TheUps-and-DownsandIns-and-Outsof
Ego-/ParacentricBodySpace 117
4. Out-of-BodyPhenomenologies:TheExperientialRepertoire 121
7 FallingAsleep,PerchancetoDream—ThencetoReawaken 128
1. SleepingandDreaming 131
2. TheNeuropathologyofDream-StateModes 146
3. ThePaediatricECE/DreamProblemRevisited 151
4. Dreams,Dreaming,andECEReviewed 152
8 ECEandtheTemporalLobe:AssassinorAccomplice? 158
1. TheExperientialOutcomesofTemporalLobePathologies 159
2. TransportsofJoy,Love,andEcstasy 161
3. TheEmergingCriticalRelevanceofLatentTemporal
LobeDysfunction 165
9 OtherNeurophysiologicalAspectsPertinenttoECEphenomenology 170
1. IntrinsicMechanisms 170
2. TheTunnelandRelatedPhenomenologies 172
3. ExtrinsicFactors 174
4. InsightsintotheBrilliantlyColouredHeavenlyPastoral 183
5. MovingOnwards:TheologicalPerspectivesonECE 186
10 AnthropologicalandEschatologicalConsiderationsofECE
Phenomenology 188
1. BiblicalAccountsofHumanAnthropology 189
2. ThePerson,DeathandaFutureHope 192
3. Personhood,theAfterlife,andtheSoul 200
4. Personhood,theAfterlife,andtheResurrectionoftheBody 206
5. ECEandAfterlife:NotanEnlighteningEschatologicalParadigm 211
11 ECE,RevelationandSpirituality 219
1. ‘Spiritual’DimensionsinaSecularWorld 222
2. ECEPhenomenology ConsideredasSpiritualEvent 228
3. TheBrainandthe‘Mystical’Experience 237
12 Subjects’InterpretationsofTheirExperiences 242
1. TheNDEandtheSubject:ConsequentialOutcomes 244
2. NDEOutcomes:TheExaltationofPersonhood 252
13 OverviewandRecapitulation 257
1. ConsciousnessandSoul 257
2. OnTrueResurrectionversusaHallucinatoryMetaphysic 260
Contents vii
3. TheForgottenPotentialofthePost-ExperientialSubject 262
4. TheEschatologicalMeaningofSalvation 266
Glossary 268
Bibliography 275
Index 305
This page intentionally left blank
Preface
This book originates from a D.Phil. thesis written at Magdalen College, and
examinedbyProfessorsJohnStein(Magdalen,ProfessorofNeurophysiology)
and Paul Badham (Professor of Theology, Lampeter College, University of
Wales).Iamgratefultobothforenthusiasticallyrecommendingthethesisfor
publication.Itsnecessaryrevisions,emphasizedbytheexaminersandsubse-
quently by three further anonymous reviewers appointed by the Theology
Faculty’s Monographs Review Committee, were effected through the patient
guidance ofits chairman,ProfessorDiarmaidMcCulloch(St.Cross). For all
theircollectivetimespentandadvice,Iammostgrateful.
But my primary duty must surely be directed towards Professor John
Brooke (lately Andreos Idrios Professor of the History of Science, Harris-
Manchester)inthankinghimforhissupervisoryrolethroughouttheprepa-
rationofthethesisanditssubsequentforgingintoabookmanuscriptviathe
MonographsReviewCommittee.Hisgentleguidance,abilitytoraiseincisive
questions, and the inevitable quotes from scientific history, provided much
encouragement and reassurance during this six-year period. I must also pay
tribute to Professor John Barton (Oriel), who, when Iwas a fourth-year (B.
Th.)theologyundergraduatehere(intheyear2000)followingmyretirement
from academic and clinical medical research, explained to me that contra
scientificresearch,doctoratesinthehumanitiesareusuallyachievedthrough
theapplicationofcloselyreasonedargument,logicallyextended.IhopethatI
mighthaverealizedhisexpectations.Writingthisthesiswascertainlydifferent
from preparing the D.M. and D.Sc. theses which encapsulate my former
contributions to biomedical research in the fields of computerized mucosal
morphometry and the immunopathology of intestinal host-mediated re-
sponsestoenvironmentalantigenicchallenge.
IammostindebtedtoothermembersoftheTheologyFaculty inOxford,
past and present, who have offered guidance, advice, or a steady hand: (the
late) Revd Professor John Macquarrie (Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity
Emeritus, ChristChurch), Revd Professor Paul Fiddes (Regent’s Park), Revd.
Dr Margaret Yee (Nuffield and St Cross), and Mr John Foster (Brasenose).
AlsoProfessorBrianLeftow(Oriel)whosesuggestionsduringmyTransferof
Statusvivaprovidedhelpfulinsights.Furthermore,Ioweadebtofgratitude
toDrChristineMohr(DepartmentofExperimentalPsychology,Universityof
Bristol) and to Dr Peter Brugger (University Department of Neurology,
University of Zurich) for their time in discussing various aspects of the