Contents:
More On Science and Nature. What do Christians, Muslims and other religions believe? Please turn on JavaScript. We all have to face death at some point, and for thousands of years humans have been pondering on whether death really is the end, with our concepts of an afterlife varying greatly. It can also be irregular, with pauses lasting from seconds to a minute or two, and that "can be scary for their family members who are watching," O'Connor said. This is one of the most ancient of all philosophical debates, and the question of what happens to consciousness after death is a recurring theme in my interviews.
Researchers sometimes turn to other species to find out what might be going on. Biomedical research on animals is understandably controversial, and must never be conducted carelessly and callously. All major religions believe in some form of life after death.
Click to see outlines of the beliefs held by a selection of faiths. All life is in a cycle of death and rebirth, and people can be reborn as a human or an animal.
Good actions in one life lead to a better rebirth in the next. Some believe sinners are sent to Hell.
On the judgement day, the dead will rise from their graves. Allah will weigh up their good and bad deeds and send them to Jannah Paradise or Jahannam Hell.
Sikhs believe in a series of reincarnations, through up to 8. For many of us, the topic of death and what comes after is still considered strictly off-limits in conversation.
A survey of more than 2, people, commissioned by the Dying Matters Coalition, found:. For centuries, religion has offered a promise of eternal bliss. But is 21st Century science now proposing more appealing afterlife alternatives? Biomedical gerontologist Aubrey de Grey believes ways to end or even reverse the ageing process will be found in the next few decades. Millionaire Dmitry Itskov is funding a project to turn a digital copy of his brain into a robot life-like avatar by , to try to achieve immortality.
What happens to our mind, our spirit and our soul when we die? What is a soul? Does the body's death mark the soul's birth, or can we attain a soul while we're. Have you ever wondered what happens when you die? Find out. Top scientific and spiritual experts share their insights on if there is life after death.
Author and futurist Ray Kurzweil thinks we will conquer disease and death by creating nano-robots to work inside our bodies, repairing damaged cells and organs. Presented by Gary Rycroft. This page is no longer being updated.
The stages of death In the last 60 seconds, roughly people have died around the world. Near death experiences Reports of near death experiences can stir up excitement in some and scepticism in others. I would be highly suspect of anyone who tells you otherwise. Although the postbiological fate of human consciousness is a truly magnificent mystery, beliefs about what happens to consciousness after death generally fall into four traditional categories: This limited range of possibilities for life after death is likely due to our strong fear of death, which creates a powerful emotional charge and makes playful speculation on this topic difficult for most people.
But if our fears of the afterlife can be suspended or transcended, and we can set our hopes and expectations aside, how might we explore this mystery and come up with alternative possibilities for life after death? Is it possible, as some people claim, that altered or mystical states of consciousness can give us insight into what happens after death?
Death is like taking off a tight shoe. Free Enlightened Living Course: When I asked visionary artist Alex Grey what he thought happens to consciousness after death he replied:.
I asked physician Bernie Siegel, author of Love, Medicine, and Miracles , what he thought happens to consciousness after death. The Power of Prayer , what he thought about this timeless mystery of life after death, he said:. The Spirit Molecule makes a convincing case for the possibility that endogenous DMT in our brains helps to usher our souls in and out of our bodies.
So I was especially interested in hearing what he thought happens to consciousness after death. When I asked psychologist Dean Radin, author of Supernormal: When I asked biologist Rupert Sheldrake, author of A New Science of Life , what he thought about this timeless mystery of life after death, he said:.