Can the existence of an afterlife be proven? The scientists looking for God
There are doctors, neuroscientists and physicists who believe science can prove life after death, although for most this remains a matter of faith rather than laboratory work
Scientists worldwide are delving into subjects such as heaven, reincarnation, and the immortality of the soul. However, the scientific community largely remains unconvinced and questions whether the scientific method is appropriate for exploring these matters. Researchers point to observations of various phenomena to conclude the existence of a spirit, heaven, or deity.
Some phenomena, such as the transition from inert matter to living beings, are considered fundamental by engineers Michel-Yves Bolloré and Olivier Bonnassies in their essay "Dios. La ciencia. Las pruebas" (God. The Science. The Evidence). Others are more peculiar or less studied, like children who remember past lives or near-death experiences (NDEs).
NDEs have been studied since the 1970s, starting with psychiatrist Raymond Moody's work, and decades ago, psychiatrist Ian Stevenson documented alleged past-life memories that could support reincarnation. Currently, there is a surge in interest, possibly due to a broader resurgence of spirituality. Notable supporters include cardiologist Valentín Fuster and Nobel laureate Robert W. Wilson.
One prominent example is American neurosurgeon Eben Alexander, who, after surviving a severe bacterial meningitis, recounted what he interpreted as a real journey to the afterlife. He describes an out-of-body experience, encounters with beings of light or deceased relatives, and a thorough review of his life while lucid, peaceful, and experiencing intense love.
Alexander argues that such an experience could not be an hallucination, as it occurred during a coma when his brain was unoperable. He also claims that NDEs differ from hallucinations in structure, persistence in memory, and lasting effects.
However, other studies challenge interpreting NDEs as proof of a transcendent reality. One such study led by neuroscientist Charlotte Martial of the University of Liège, published in Nature Reviews Neurology, proposes a model explaining NDEs as the result of neurobiological processes in a stressed brain. Factors like lack of oxygen, increased carbon dioxide, and alterations in electrical brain activity trigger neuronal hyperactivity and massive neurotransmitter release, leading to intense, coherent, and emotionally deep experiences.
The challenge with studying NDEs and other transcendental phenomena lies in their occurrence in an immaterial dimension, outside space and time, making them beyond the reach of scientific tools based on observable, measurable, and reproducible phenomena. While philosophers like Carlos Blanco argue that science infers unobservable causes from indirect measurements, such as electrons or black holes, they differ from consciousness, which leaves no trace and is unobservable, existing in another plane of existence.
Written by urgent.news from El Pais English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
