Immortal Remains The Evidence for Life After Death

by Braude, Stephen E.

• ISBN13: 9780742514720
• ISBN10: 0742514722
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-04-16
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

Immortal Remains takes a fresh look at some of the most puzzling cases suggesting survival after death, and considers how to distinguish evidence for an afterlife from evidence for exotic things (including psychic things) done by the living. Author Stephen E. Braude concludes that we have some reason, finally, for believing in life after death.

Author Biography

Stephen E. Braude is professor of philosophy and chairman of the philosophy department at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Table of Contents

Preface	ix
Chapter 1: Preliminaries
1.1 Introduction	1	(2)
1.2 Survival and Personal Identity	3	(6)
1.3 Survival and Anomalous Knowledge	9	(1)
1.4 The "Super-Psi" Hypothesis	10	(13)
1.5 What Else Is Wrong with the Literature on Survival	23	(8)
Chapter 2: Drop-In Communicators
2.1 Introduction	31	(4)
2.2 Outline of the Issues	35	(4)
2.3 The Cagliostro Case	39	(4)
2.4 Runki's Leg: The Case	43	(4)
2.5 Runki's Leg: Theoretical Considerations and Nagging Concerns	47	(4)
2.6 Concluding Remarks	51	(2)
Chapter 3: Trance Mediumship
3.1 Introduction	53	(3)
3.2 Outline of Mrs. Piper's Mediumship	56	(4)
3.3 Examples of Mrs. Piper's Mediumship	60	(11)
3.4 Mrs. Leonard's Mediumship	71	(8)
3.5 Mediumship and Super-ESP	79	(7)
3.6 Survival and the Causal Nexus	86	(9)
3.7 The Cross-Correspondences	95	(6)
Chapter 4: The Case of Sharada: Psychopathology and Xenoglossy
4.1 Introduction	101	(2)
4.2 Outline of the Case	103	(3)
4.3 Objections to Stevenson's Report	106	(3)
4.4 Akolkar's Report	109	(5)
4.5 Super-Psi and Knowledge-How	114	(13)
4.6 Xenoglossy and Dissociation	127	(6)
Chapter 5: The Case of Patience Worth
5.1 Introduction	133	(1)
5.2 Pearl Curran's Background	134	(2)
5.3 The History, Style, and Personality of Patience Worth	136	(3)
5.4 Writing Samples	139	(9)
5.5 The Theoretical Challenge	148	(3)
5.6 Non-Survivalist Conjectures	151	(10)
5.7 Latency and Creativity: The Case of Helene Smith	161	(5)
5.8 Other Cases of Mediumistic Creativity	166	(4)
5.9 Survivalist Conjectures	170	(3)
5.10 Concluding Remarks	173	(4)
Chapter 6: Reincarnation and Possession
6.l Introduction	177	(6)
6.2 The Case of Bishen Chand	183	(4)
6.3 A Recent Early-Bird Case	187	(3)
6.4 The Antonin Case	190	(8)
6.5 The Sumitra/Shiva Case	198	(9)
6.6 The Thompson-Gifford Case	207	(9)
6.7 Concluding Remarks	216	(9)
Chapter 7: Lingering Spirits
7.1 Introduction	225	(1)
7.2 Haunting: Preliminaries	226	(7)
7.3 Haunting: Comments	233	(3)
7.4 Transplant Cases	236	(5)
7.5 Transplant Cases: Comments	241	(4)
Chapter 8: Out-of-Body Experiences
8.1 Introduction	245	(5)
8.2 Why Externalism?	250	(6)
8.3 Distinctness and Independence	256	(4)
8.4 Apparitions and Reciprocal OBEs	260	(10)
8.5 Near-Death Experiences	270	(6)
8.6 An Appeal to Systematicity	276	(5)
8.7 Concluding Remarks	281	(2)
Chapter 9: Conclusion
9.1 Introduction	283	(1)
9.2 Ideal Cases	283	(5)
9.3 The Significance of Physiological Data	288	(4)
9.4 The "Stuff" That Survives	292	(6)
9.5 The Almeder/Hales Debate	298	(3)
9.6 Summing Up	301	(6)
Bibliography	307	(16)
Index	323	(6)
About the Author	329