Case for the Afterlife

Chris Carter is a physics teacher who was educated at Oxford, England. His previous work includes Science and the Near-Death Experience, Science and Psychic Phenomena, and Science and the Afterlife Experience.

"This book is as clear a presentation of the evidence supporting the existence of an afterlife as anything in the literature. What makes it different from anything else in the literature is its wider coverage of the various types of evidence, and its robust demolition of the hypotheses used by opponents to debunk the evidence....Added to the pleasure of following Carter's lucid argumentation is the pleasure of seeing it so elegantly presented."—Stafford Betty, Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies, California State University, Bakersfield, author ofThe Afterlife Unveiled"A stunning contribution. Carter aptly addresses the important question of what happens after death."—Robert Almeder, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Georgia State and author of Death & Personal Survival: The Evidence for Life after Death"Carter applies the finishing strokes to his earlier arguments for post-mortem survival. He lays out some of the best evidence derived from a variety of sources...while demonstrating unequivocally that non-paranormal explanations fail to cover the facts...This book is essential reading for those on both sides of this controversy, and for anyone seeking a reliable introduction to the subject."—Michael Prescott, author of The Far Horizon: Perspectives on Life Beyond Death"Carter has produced the most sober, factually based, and rationally argued treatise I have ever read...To be recommended for everyone who has ever inquired about the real nature of his or her own consciousness. Reading this book will be a mind-blowing clarification."—Ervin Laszlo, author of Science and the Akashic Field"Carter makes the case for the afterlife in a manner that is both original and convincing...He devotes considerable time to presenting alternative scenarios...He finds each of these explanations sorely wanting, leaving after-death survival the most viable explanation."—Stanley Krippner, PhD, Affiliated Distinguished Professor, California Institute of Integral Studies"Carter offers some of the very best evidence available to us in arriving at such a conviction. It is evidence that both mainstreamscience and orthodox religions have failed to grasp or appreciate. Carter presents it in a logical, cogent, and compelling manner."—Michael Tymn, author of The Afterlife Revealed"A comprehensive examination of all the phenomena that would suggest persistence of some characteristics of personhood after the body is gone. Abundant references will engage anyone interested in the research behind the premises. Scholarly, yet engaging and easy to read!"—Robert Bobrow, MD, author of The Witch in the Waiting Room"Carter argues that, based on the scientific research on mediumship, after-death communication, near-death experiences, end-of life experiences, terminal lucidity, apparitions, and spontaneous memories of previous lives at an early age, there is overwhelming evidence that there is a continuity of consciousness after the death of our body."—Pim van Lommel, cardiologist, NDE-researcher, author of Consciousness Beyond Life"A significant and penetrating contribution to the assessment of the evidence base for survival. It combines rigorous logic with extensive case histories to shift the burden of proof to sceptics, showing how doubt can become unreasonable...On the basis of multiple lines of evidence, Carter makes a compelling and entirely reasonable Case for the Afterlife."—David Lorimer, author of Survival? Death as a Transition

• ContentsPrologue xiiiIntroduction 1Part I: The Tool KitChapter 1: The Mind-Body Relationship 9Chapter 2: The Nature of Evidence 23Chapter 3: Standards of Proof 31Chapter 4: The Nature of Science 37Part II: The EvidenceChapter 5: The Near-Death Experience 43Chapter 6: Deathbed Visions 69Chapter 7: Apparitions 75Chapter 8: Children Who Remember Previous Lives 101Chapter 9: Messages from the Dead 107Chapter 10: Display of Skills 125Chapter 11: Evidence of Design 149Chapter 12: Mental Characteristics Only of the Deceased 157Part III: RIP Super-ESPChapter 13: Does Super-ESP Exist? 169Chapter 14: The Arguments of Stephen Braude 175Conclusion 187Epilogue 193Appendix I: Quantum Mechanics 195Appendix II: Near-Death Experiences of the Blind 203Appendix III: Why Does What We Believe Matter? 207Appendix IV: Is ESP a "Simpler" Explanation Than Survival? 209Appendix V: Super-ESP or "Living-Agent Psi?" 213Appendix VI: What the Dead Say 219Bibliography 237