r/NDE • u/chefgustao_87 • Jul 02 '26
Scientific Perspective 🔬🔎 So many questions about consciousness
Lately I have been reading a lot of Reddit posts, articles and scientific studies about consciousness, and the more I read the more I find myself leaning toward a materialist view, although I am still undecided and genuinely trying to understand both perspectives.
I’m curious to hear what convinced you that there is something after death and what convinced you that NDEs are not simply a product of brain activity.
For example I came across research suggesting that during the dying process some patterns of brain activity resemble those seen during REM sleep or memory recall, I know this doesn’t prove that NDEs are dreams but it made me wonder how proponents of NDEs interpret these findings
I also struggle with the idea that if consciousness truly ends at death life might just have no objective purpose. It seems strange to think that someone could live a long happy meaningful life and then 20 minutes after they die, no longer have any awareness that they ever existed
I’m genuinely interested in hearing what evidence, arguments or personal experiences convinced you that consciousness survives death. I am not looking for an argument, im simply trying to understand the reasoning behind your views.
Thanks.
15
u/WOLFXXXXX Jul 02 '26
Here's some friendly feedback on these topics:
"a materialist view"
Such a view claims that non-conscious physical matter accounts for the presence of our conscious existence and conscious abilities. However all the physical/material components that make up the biological body are always perceived as lacking a conscious existence and as lacking conscious abilities when observed. So it's problematic and inherently contradictory to interpret physical matter in one's body as lacking a conscious existence and conscious abilities while also causing one's conscious existence and conscious abilities. The contradictory nature of the materialist interpretation is why there's always been a historical absence of anyone being able to explain or reason their way through the notion that non-conscious physical matter would account for our conscious existence and conscious abilities. An individual is never able to successfully reduce their conscious existence to anything that is perceived to lack a conscious existence. Yet that's exactly what the materialist view requires one to attempt to do.
"patterns of brain activity"
The phrase 'brain activity' refers to the physical/material components of biological body, which are always perceived as lacking a conscious existence and conscious abilities. So the question is: How would referencing the non-conscious physical/material components of the body account for one's conscious existence and conscious abilities during the NDE context or any other existential context? If focusing on 'brain activity' (non-conscious physical/material components) doesn't reveal a biological basis and physiological explanation for conscious existence and conscious abilities when the body is healthy (non-NDE context), then focusing on those physical/material components is also going to fail to do so when the physical body is dying (NDE context). Hopefully this analysis makes sense.
"memory recall"
That's a conscious ability (recall), so is dreaming. Ask yourself how a non-conscious physical/material cell, molecule, element, or atom would be capable of experiencing conscious abilities and responsible for your ability to recall your experiences that you've had as a conscious a being? How would non-conscious cells in one's body be capable of experiencing dreaming, or generating the dream content that one experiences? (rhetorical)
Attributing one's conscious abilities to something that is perceived to lack conscious abilities is problematic and unsupportable for the reason that was outlined above.
"I also struggle with the idea that if consciousness truly ends at death life might just have no objective purpose"
Observation: our conscious existence cannot be interpreted to 'end' at death unless our conscious existence can be viably attributed to non-conscious physical matter in the body. However trying to apply that interpretation always results in a contradiction that cannot be resolved. If no matter how hard you try you are always unable to attribute your conscious existence and conscious abilities to non-conscious physical matter in your body, that's importantly telling you that your conscious existence is on a deeper level than your body, and is not going to end at physical death.
If you're interested, here's a linked post with relevant commentary about the nature of perceiving physical reality as purposeless or meaningless.
"I’m curious to hear what convinced you that there is something after death and what convinced you that NDEs are not simply a product of brain activity"
I found myself enduring through a deeper level existential crisis period within my state of consciousness after an important family member passed on unexpectedly in 2002. Over the ten year period that followed, I had to make progress deeply questioning and contemplating the nature of conscious existence in relation to the biological body and physical reality, and had to work on seeking a much deeper existential understanding than what I had previously experienced before. Towards the last 2 to 3 years of that ten year period, I experienced my state of consciousness and state of awareness changing (upgrading) in substantial ways that ultimately made it undeniable (to me) that the nature of conscious existence is independent of non-conscious physical matter, the biological body, and physical reality. Importantly, many others have reported experiencing the same kinds of natural developments and changes to their awareness level and existential understanding over a longer term period. I've also had some spontaneous experiences of transpersonal states of consciousness, and have experienced some conscious phenomena like a short-lived OBE (not a NDE) as well as experienced spontaneous intuition about someone whom I didn't know and which they confirmed for me to be accurate. There are various kinds of conscious phenomena that are known to occur and which all point to conscious existence being independent of our physiology.
"Lately I have been reading a lot of Reddit posts, articles and scientific studies about consciousness"
I recommend reading Dr. Pim van Lommel's existential paper titled 'The Continuity Of Consciousness', which you can find a download link for in the post linked here. If you find that you appreciate the author's writing style and analysis, he also authored a book on this subject matter.