Paranormal Experience and Survival of Death
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Description
Paranormal Experience and Survival of Death amasses data and surveys from a century of research on the paranormal on four continents: Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Studying the tensions between religious and scientific perspectives, Becker reviews numerous substantiated accounts of demon-possession, of memories of past lives, of ghostly apparitions, and out-of-body experiences. He analyzes the medical evidence and what such experiences imply about survival after death. The author then looks at the reasons for the taboos on scientific discussion of such research within the social sciences, and proposes a new paradigm for a more holistic view of the field.
Carl B. Becker is Professor of Comparative Thought at Kyoto University, Japan. He has also written Survival: Life After Death in Christianity, Buddhism, and Modern Science; American Ideals; and Communication: East and West.
Reviews
"This book is lucidly written, well organized, and succinct as an overview of the empirical evidence for survival. The author efficiently summarizes the arguments and counterarguments surrounding alleged cases of reincarnation, apparition, out of body experiences and near death experiences. Some of the theoretical material is superb. For these reasons, it is a book I want on my shelf. Most other studies of this kind are hopelessly partisan; this study is highly reputable. The author deftly distinguishes between different facets of paranormal phenomena, and thus clarifies discussion that is usually muddied. " — Carol Zaleski, Smith College
"…if you really want an honest look at the state of paranormal research, there really is only one, Paranormal Experiences and Survival of Death … comprehensive, possibly the best effort at explaining things that go bump in the night … well organized and can offer the reader concrete 'empiric' evidence for the survival of the human spirit after death. " — Texas Bookworm