Top Neurosurgeon claims he has proof of heaven after he awakes from a week long coma. With brain sca
104 replies, posted
[QUOTE=GunFox;37974166]Fire him. Publishing something based on anecdotal evidence while in a coma is fucking laughable in to any academic. He has no place at Harvard. A neuroscientist should know better than this.[/QUOTE]
Wait, I see no evidence of him working at Harvard since 2001. He was indeed an associate professor, which means tenured, but he left after a few years.
Harvard's own site has no mention of him at all, best I can tell.
[url]https://www.directory.harvard.edu/phonebook/submitSearch.do[/url]
nothing comes up on his name.
[QUOTE=GunFox;37974166]Fire him. Publishing something based on anecdotal evidence while in a coma is fucking laughable in to any academic. He has no place at Harvard. A neuroscientist should know better than this.[/QUOTE]
maybe he's in on it too.
[QUOTE=MisterMedia;37974248]maybe he's in on it too.[/QUOTE]
Maybe who is in on this? The "neuroscientist" is the coma guy.
Great, just what we need is another "HEAVEN IS REAL!" book to further intrench people. Except this time its from a [i]scientist[/i] so those people are now going to say it must be true because a scientist said it!
However when a scientist says something they disagree with those same people are the first to say science doesn't mean anything.
[QUOTE=GunFox;37974244]Wait, I see no evidence of him working at Harvard since 2001. He was indeed an associate professor, which means tenured, but he left after a few years.
Harvard's own site has no mention of him at all, best I can tell.
[url]https://www.directory.harvard.edu/phonebook/submitSearch.do[/url]
nothing comes up on his name.[/QUOTE]
Offtopic, but when did you get mod back?
If the brain scans actually indicated that, then i'd be less sceptical as to whether or not he made the whole thing up. Without proof i'm not buying it, though if such an experience actually registered on some sort of super-advanced brain-reader, then it'd be at least an interesting dream, though how can one dream without thought; does that even work?
Still, it's comforting to think that there's actually something beyond death other than non-existence. It's a wishful and likely naive thought, yes, but it's still better than the thought of facing existential annihilation when your brain stops working, and even if there is no afterlife, we should at least try to invent one, starting with reliable brain-in-a-jar technology.
[QUOTE=Forumaster;37974255]Offtopic, but when did you get mod back?[/QUOTE]
Hm? Never lost it.
Top Neurosurgeon Now Former-Top Neurosurgeon
[QUOTE=ironman17;37974259]Still, it's comforting to think that there's actually something beyond death other than non-existence. It's a wishful and likely naive thought, yes, but it's still better than the thought of facing existential annihilation when your brain stops working, and even if there is no afterlife, we should at least try to invent one, starting with reliable brain-in-a-jar technology.[/QUOTE]
Sure would be ironic if there really was an amazing afterlife, but because we all went for the sure thing of being immortal brains in jars no one got to see it.
If a brain scanner picked something up, that tells he was hallucinating and nothing more. Of course a dying/malfunctioning brain will do crazy shit.
seems like woo-woo to me.
I fucking hate this kind of book. My family got me a copy of this for christmas
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b3/Heaven_Is_for_Real_%28Burpo_book%29_cover.jpg[/img]
Every page, every paragraph, every [i]word[/i] was slathered in this lazy, disgustingly patronizing, "I'm from a small town with traditional values" bullshit so obviously shat out in order to generate cash. I bet the book in the OP will be no different.
Only because the cortex is not active does not mean he's been dead and seen heaven. There are still big parts of the brain that is still in use even if the patient has lost consciousness and fallen into a coma. Some patients have reported dreaming sessions.
From the way I see it, he should know that a subjective experience is not enough data to constitute a proper scientific claim. For all we know, the mix of drugs and chemicals released by the brain could've messed with his consciousness. Although being hit by something as serious as bacterial meningitis can literally change people, the same way removing a brain tumour can change a person.
I remember reports of people hitting LSD (I think it was) and having powerful spiritual experiences. The scientific world would laugh if we brought in a person that experienced god by having his senses chemically altered.
Then again, you should never trust your brain to begin with. :v:
Source: student of cognitive neuroscience
I guess he failed his epidemiology class
[QUOTE=Scar;37974058]Doesn't the brain release tons of DMT when you're close to death?
That would explain his "visions"[/QUOTE]
Holy shit, So I get to have one last sick as fuck trip before I die? Nice :dance:
[QUOTE=Neo Kabuto;37974280]Sure would be ironic if there really was an amazing afterlife, but because we all went for the sure thing of being immortal brains in jars no one got to see it.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, that would be pretty ironic. Still, it's better than turning into an unstable ghost that risks going crazy, unless put in a clone body or working for a guy whose nemesis looks like Doc Brown wearing panties on his face.
But in my opinion, if there is an afterlife, it's probably an untamed and shitty one, filled with soul-gnawing tentacle-beasts and shoddily-designed bone castles.
If anything, this proves that some form of thought is possible in parts of the brain/Ways science hasn't observed before
[QUOTE=H4ngman;37974573]If anything, this proves that some form of thought is possible in parts of the brain/Ways science hasn't observed before[/QUOTE]
no it doesn't
[editline]9th October 2012[/editline]
how on earth does it prove that
According to our current scientific knowlege this form of brain activity should not have been possible under the given circumstances.
But in fact it was. So either our knowlege of the subject is incomplete and it is in fact possible or the circumstances were onterpreted wrong
or his story is phony sellout bullshit. Which it most likely is
[QUOTE=1STrandomman;37974295]I fucking hate this kind of book. My family got me a copy of this for christmas
[img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b3/Heaven_Is_for_Real_%28Burpo_book%29_cover.jpg[/img]
Every page, every paragraph, every [i]word[/i] was slathered in this lazy, disgustingly patronizing, "I'm from a small town with traditional values" bullshit so obviously shat out in order to generate cash. I bet the book in the OP will be no different.[/QUOTE]
Are your parents trying to influence your beliefs or something, that's pretty fucked up if so.
[quote][b]"But as far as I know, no one before me has ever traveled to this dimension[/b] (a) while their cortex was completely shut down, and (b) while their body was under minute medical observation, as mine was for the full seven days of my coma."[/quote]
[quote][b]"But as far as I know, no one before me has ever traveled to this dimension[/b][/quote]
[img]http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wUQr64Rlz_M/T7Ab5zGqbxI/AAAAAAAABKQ/A5679p9HR8Y/s180/idi-amin-laughing.gif[/img]
[highlight](User was banned for this post ("You got banned for the same damn reaction image before." - Orkel))[/highlight]
[QUOTE=H4ngman;37974944]According to our current scientific knowlege this form of brain activity should not have been possible under the given circumstances.
But in fact it was. So either our knowlege of the subject is incomplete and it is in fact possible or the circumstances were onterpreted wrong
or his story is phony sellout bullshit. Which it most likely is[/QUOTE]
It controls conscious thought but I don't see why that means his consciousness should be totally off. Plus we don't know and he doesn't know at what point his "visions" occurred. Could have been before or after the neocortex stopped functioning. Or it could be for the money.
[editline]9th October 2012[/editline]
or he finally experienced nothing and it terrified him and we wants to imbue his experience with some meaning
I really hope if there is an afterlife it isn't some cliche clouds in the sky shit. I guess anything is better than nothing though.
The athiest circlejerk is strong in this thread.
[QUOTE=AbysalRush;37974078]No it does not, there is DMT in your brain but it is unknown what it is used for.[/QUOTE]
dmt exists in almost every living organism on this planet. its role in the human body is to keep us from developing psychosis and other mental ills. every time you go to sleep and you dream, you're tripping balls on dmt. without sleep people get irritable, disoriented, and visibly ill. im surprised this dude remembered what it was like because 90% of the time you can't remember your dreams (or your dmt trip for that matter); the experience is so powerful that your sober mind tries to protect you from it.
[QUOTE=AbysalRush;37974078]No it does not, there is DMT in your brain but it is unknown what it is used for.[/QUOTE]
it's used to activate the portal between your brain and heaven/hell obviously
[sp]if you think im serious your a idiot[/sp]
[QUOTE=Hayburner;37975258]dmt exists in almost every living organism on this planet. its role in the human body is to keep us from developing psychosis and other mental ills. every time you go to sleep and you dream, you're tripping balls on dmt. without sleep people get irritable, disoriented, and visibly ill. im surprised this dude remembered what it was like because 90% of the time you can't remember your dreams (or your dmt trip for that matter); the experience is so powerful that your sober mind tries to protect you from it.[/QUOTE]
I'm pretty sure DMT isn't present in the brain, but the precursor compounds are.
[QUOTE=Scar;37974058]Doesn't the brain release tons of DMT when you're close to death?
That would explain his "visions"[/QUOTE]
He's a neuroscientist. pretty sure he knows that, better than us, even.
[QUOTE=andy85258;37975223]The athiest circlejerk is strong in this thread.[/QUOTE]
A 7 day long coma spent tripping balls because your mental inhibitions have been killed temporarily is not evidence of Heaven, Hell, Hel, Paradise, Valhalla, Isengard, Nirvana or any other spiritual or religious realm.
The facts of the matter are these:
1. Half the guys brain wasn't functioning, if we take what this guy says seriously then why don't we take the visions of schizophrenics as gospel too?
2. His perception will have been influenced by familiar concepts, such as angels and jet contrails and all round Abrahamic mythology since it is a massive pop culture phenomenon.
3. He was in a cunting coma, who gives a fuck what he saw.
[QUOTE=Pierrewithahat;37975525]A 7 day long coma spent tripping balls because your mental inhibitions have been killed temporarily is not evidence of Heaven, Hell, Hel, Paradise, Valhalla, Isengard, Nirvana or any other spiritual or religious realm.
The facts of the matter are these:
1. Half the guys brain wasn't functioning, if we take what this guy says seriously then why don't we take the visions of schizophrenics as gospel too?
2. His perception will have been influenced by familiar concepts, such as angels and jet contrails and all round Abrahamic mythology since it is a massive pop culture phenomenon.
3. He was in a cunting coma, who gives a fuck what he saw.[/QUOTE]
im just saying that whenever these kind of stories come up, most people on this forum rush to stroke eachothers dicks about how they dont believe god or the afterlife exists
[QUOTE=andy85258;37975722]im just saying that whenever these kind of stories come up, most people on this forum rush to stroke eachothers dicks about how they dont believe god or the afterlife exists[/QUOTE]
No, we're coming up with a rational, reasonable, scientific explanation for what he claims happened to him. Several people already said how they think an afterlife would be nice.
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