چکیده مبسوط

(Extended Abstract)

1) Introduction

The problem of consciousness and its relation to the brain remains one of the most fundamental and controversial issues in philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and contemporary philosophical theology. In recent decades, with the rapid development of neuroscience and cognitive studies, physicalism has emerged as one of the dominant paradigms for explaining the nature of mind and consciousness. According to this view, all mental states, emotions, perceptions, and conscious experiences can ultimately be reduced to physical and neurobiological processes occurring within the brain. Consequently, human consciousness is regarded as nothing more than a byproduct of neural activity, leaving no room for an independent immaterial dimension of the self.

In contrast, non-physicalist approaches—especially dualism—argue that consciousness cannot be fully explained through material mechanisms alone and that human beings possess a non-physical aspect irreducible to bodily structures. Within this debate, Near-Death Experiences (NDEs) have become one of the most significant contemporary challenges to physicalist interpretations of consciousness. NDEs refer to profound psychological and conscious experiences reported by individuals who have been close to death, clinically dead, or in severe physiological crises such as cardiac arrest, coma, or traumatic injury. These experiences often include out-of-body perceptions, movement through a tunnel, encounters with light or deceased persons, panoramic life reviews, feelings of peace, and heightened awareness.

The significance of NDEs lies in the fact that many such experiences occur during periods in which measurable brain activity is absent or severely diminished. According to physicalist assumptions, consciousness should not be possible under such conditions. Nevertheless, numerous experiencers later report vivid, coherent, and sometimes verifiable perceptions of events occurring around them while they were clinically unconscious. This phenomenon raises important philosophical questions concerning the adequacy of purely materialistic explanations of consciousness.

The central question of this study is whether Near-Death Experiences can serve as evidence against physicalism and support the possibility of a non-material dimension of consciousness. The article seeks to analyze experimental reports, philosophical arguments, and neuroscientific findings in order to evaluate the explanatory power of physicalism regarding NDEs and to explore whether these experiences necessitate a reconsideration of dominant theories of mind and body.

2) Methodology

This study employs an analytical-critical and interdisciplinary approach, drawing upon philosophy of mind, neuroscience, psychology, and empirical studies of Near-Death Experiences. In the first stage, the concept, characteristics, and classifications of NDEs are examined through major scholarly works in the field. Particular attention is given to recurrent features such as out-of-body experiences (OBEs), encounters with luminous entities, experiences of transcendence, panoramic life reviews, and conscious perception during clinical death.

The theoretical framework of the research is based on the confrontation between physicalism and dualism. Different forms of physicalism—including reductive and non-reductive physicalism—are analyzed alongside dualistic approaches to consciousness. The study also discusses neutral monism and other alternative theories concerning the mind-body relationship in order to establish a broader conceptual context.

In the empirical section, the article examines reports and clinical studies conducted by major researchers such as Raymond Moody, Pim van Lommel, Bruce Greyson, and Eben Alexander. Particular focus is placed on documented cases in which individuals undergoing cardiac arrest or deep coma later described accurate perceptions of surrounding events despite the apparent absence of normal brain functioning. Cases involving congenitally blind individuals reporting visual experiences during NDEs are also analyzed.

The analytical method consists of comparing the empirical data derived from NDE reports with the theoretical expectations of physicalism. In addition, common physicalist explanations—such as oxygen deprivation, temporal lobe dysfunction, neurochemical hallucinations, and the limitations of current neuroscientific technology—are critically evaluated to determine whether they adequately account for the full range of NDE phenomena.

3) Discussion and Results

The findings of this study indicate that Near-Death Experiences possess characteristics that are difficult to reconcile with a strictly physicalist model of consciousness. One of the most important findings concerns reports of lucid and coherent awareness occurring during states of cardiac arrest or clinical death, when measurable cortical brain activity was absent. In several documented cases, experiencers later provided detailed descriptions of medical procedures, conversations, and environmental details that were subsequently confirmed by medical staff and witnesses. Such reports challenge the physicalist assumption that consciousness is entirely dependent upon active neural functioning.

Another important finding involves NDE reports from congenitally blind individuals. Some blind experiencers described visual perceptions of objects, persons, and environments during their experiences, despite having no prior visual memory or sensory capacity for sight. These cases suggest that conscious perception in NDEs may not depend entirely upon ordinary sensory organs such as the eyes or optic nerves. Consequently, they strengthen the hypothesis that consciousness may operate independently of normal bodily mechanisms under certain conditions.

The study further demonstrates that common physicalist explanations fail to account comprehensively for all aspects of NDEs. Hypotheses involving hypoxia, excess carbon dioxide, neurochemical reactions, or hallucinatory states may explain certain isolated features, but they do not adequately explain the clarity, consistency, transformative effects, and verifiable perceptions reported in many cases. Moreover, some individuals who experienced NDEs were medically monitored and maintained sufficient oxygen levels, thereby weakening reductionist interpretations based solely on physiological distress.

The article argues that NDEs expose significant limitations within physicalist theories of consciousness and lend support to the plausibility of non-material dimensions of human awareness. However, the study also acknowledges that dualism itself faces unresolved philosophical challenges, particularly concerning the interaction between non-material consciousness and the physical body. Therefore, the article does not claim that NDEs conclusively prove dualism; rather, it maintains that these experiences seriously undermine the sufficiency of reductive materialism as a complete explanation of consciousness.

4) Conclusion

This study concludes that Near-Death Experiences provide an important and compelling context for reconsidering the nature of consciousness and the relationship between mind and body. Empirical evidence indicates that certain conscious experiences occur under conditions in which, according to current neuroscientific standards, significant brain activity is absent or severely impaired. Such findings are difficult to reconcile with the core assumptions of physicalism, which regards consciousness as wholly dependent upon neural processes.

The analysis presented in this article suggests that NDEs may serve as experiential evidence supporting non-physicalist interpretations of consciousness. Phenomena such as out-of-body experiences, accurate perceptions during cardiac arrest, and visual awareness among congenitally blind individuals indicate that human consciousness may extend beyond purely biological and neurological mechanisms.

At the same time, the study recognizes that the problem of consciousness remains one of the most complex unresolved issues in both philosophy and science. Neither physicalism nor dualism has yet provided a definitive and universally accepted explanation. Nevertheless, Near-Death Experiences reveal important weaknesses in reductionist models and demonstrate the need for broader interdisciplinary inquiry into the nature of consciousness.

Ultimately, the study of NDEs opens new horizons for dialogue among philosophy, neuroscience, psychology, and theology. Continued investigation into these phenomena may contribute significantly to future understandings of human consciousness, personal identity, and the limits of materialist explanations of reality.