(May 25, 2011 at 10:25 am)Whirling Moat Wrote:Quote:As it stands consciousness is a property of matter..
No it isn't. Consciousness is said to supervene from the Brain but it is not a material aspect of the Brain, and based on previous discussions you and others have conceded that consciousness clearly survives any detectable activity of the brain.
Sorry Mr. Moat but this is a sack of manure. What we like to call consciousness is in fact a result of material processes within the brain. Without a brain, you cannot have consciousness - at least in terms of what we understand consciousness to be. Brain death is irreversible - those NDEs that you cite as evidence does not constitute brain death - it is not abrupt. Brain death is a process in of itself that goes through phases. It is possible to resuscitate brain function depending on the situation, before brain death actually occurs. If blood flow can return to the brain before the cells die then there's a good chance a patient may continue to live, albeit with a possibility of damage to particular areas of the brain, which may or may not be permanent. NDEs constitute the gray area before death. A well-written article/interview that explains this can be found here: http://www.salon.com/books/int/2011/01/1..._interview
Note that folks that faint may have similar experiences to NDEs. Drugs can also effect consciousness. So to say that consciousness exists independent of brain function is simply false.
