Bronze Dog
Copper Alloy Canid
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
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- 4,993
Haven't read it, but it can't prove the non-existence of an afterlife. It's a logical impossibility (and fallacy) to prove a negative.
frozenfred
New Blood
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2005
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- 3
i just started reading it - finished chapter 2 last night.
Chapter 1 - she follows a reincarnation researcher in India. i don't think she deals with the issue too critically. to me, they're basically seeing the selective memory of the people. in other words, a kid makes some statements, somebody realizes that these sound like so-and-so in another villiage nearby, who recently died, and so they declare the kid to be the re-incarnated dead person.
the people she sees WANT to believe it - it fits with their religion. in some ways, to them doesn't matter if it's REALLY true. it makes the families feel better, so it's ok.
chapter 2 is mostly about the discovery of egg fertilization, and a light discussion of when, exactly the soul enters into the embryo/cellular mass. some people argued for a while that the sperm is a tiny person, and the ovum (egg) is nothing more than food for it. other argued that the egg contained everything, and that the sperm was a sort of catalyst for the growth to begin.
finally, one religious scholar says that the soul doesn't enter until about the 14th day, because that's the point where the mass can no longer split into twins. if the soul entered before that point, then clearly each baby would only have 1/2 a soul..
that's my take on the book so far. it's made me laugh out loud - not at the science, but the author's comments peppered througout the book.
i'm enjoying it, but the science (so far) seems light. and the critical thinking isn't there at all just yet.
Chapter 1 - she follows a reincarnation researcher in India. i don't think she deals with the issue too critically. to me, they're basically seeing the selective memory of the people. in other words, a kid makes some statements, somebody realizes that these sound like so-and-so in another villiage nearby, who recently died, and so they declare the kid to be the re-incarnated dead person.
the people she sees WANT to believe it - it fits with their religion. in some ways, to them doesn't matter if it's REALLY true. it makes the families feel better, so it's ok.
chapter 2 is mostly about the discovery of egg fertilization, and a light discussion of when, exactly the soul enters into the embryo/cellular mass. some people argued for a while that the sperm is a tiny person, and the ovum (egg) is nothing more than food for it. other argued that the egg contained everything, and that the sperm was a sort of catalyst for the growth to begin.
finally, one religious scholar says that the soul doesn't enter until about the 14th day, because that's the point where the mass can no longer split into twins. if the soul entered before that point, then clearly each baby would only have 1/2 a soul..
that's my take on the book so far. it's made me laugh out loud - not at the science, but the author's comments peppered througout the book.
i'm enjoying it, but the science (so far) seems light. and the critical thinking isn't there at all just yet.
Dustin Kesselberg
Illuminator
- Joined
- Nov 30, 2004
- Messages
- 4,669
I agree that it's impossible to disprove the existence of an afterlife but it isn't impossible to "prove a negative".
By negative I assume you mean something false. And by "prove" I assume you mean disprove.
In which case negatives are disproven daily.
Paul C. Anagnostopoulos
Nap, interrupted.
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2001
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- 19,141
The reviewer in Skeptical Inquirer liked the book.
~~ Paul
~~ Paul
Chris Haynes
Perfectly Poisonous Person
I enjoyed the book too. She takes it all very light heartedly... and she is skeptical.
Silly Green Monkey
Cowardly Lurking in the Shadows of Greatness
I want to try the trick with the cows.
Smart_Cookie
Muse
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2006
- Messages
- 889
Ooh... I don't think I've gotten to that part yet. Sounds good.
I'm just on the chapter about the EVP phenomenon, where people swear they've heard voices on taped radio static, etc.
It was...fine. It was definitely fun to read, but her "skepticism" needs work. IIRC, she seems to really want to believe in an afterlife, and some of the comments later in the book had me pretty worked up, but all in all, an enjoyable read. I like Stiff better, but that had much more of a concrete basis.
I'd very much like to read a similar investigation into how people think about life after death from someone like Michael Shermer.
I'd very much like to read a similar investigation into how people think about life after death from someone like Michael Shermer.