(March 31, 2018 at 3:01 am)vulcanlogician Wrote: While much about consciousness is a mystery, a causal relation between an active, living brain and consciousness has been demonstrated. There is no reason to think that consciousness can exist without a living brain.
When the battery in your phone dies, is there any reason to think your phone "goes on working" in some further capacity? So it is with the body.
Edit: And welcome to the forums!
Actually this analogy is well intended, but not complete.
If that battery is still in tact, it can be recharged.
In terms of the brain, it is about having enough in tact cells with just enough juice, that even if vitals cannot be found, you can come out of it.
It is more like that if you take the cell phone battery and smash it into smithereens.
Clinical death can also only mean "flying under the radar", but not really dead. That is when you might still be in the window, but your vitals cannot be found. But that is not the same as permanent death. Permanent death is when you are beyond the window to which enough cell and neurological damage has been caused that all of your body dies as well.
Bottom line is that if you come out of a "near death" event, you were never permanently dead, thus the word "near". Close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades. With death, you either are dead or you are not. If you come out of an event, you never were dead.
