Today’s philosophical conundrum is: do electrons live? Or to put it another way, what physical difference is there between a living thing and a non-living thing? Surely at the atomic level, nothing, since all matter is made up of atoms. So then, we have the following argument:

1) All living things are made of matter

2) All matter is composed of atoms

3) Atoms are not alive (according to the most widely held definitions)

Therefore, life (whatever it may be) is not itself a physical thing, but only manifests itself through physical things. What are the ramifications of this? Well, for me it points to the concept that life transcends matter. In other words living things (which by the way includes you and I) have a life entity (or soul if you will) that in all likelihood can survive physical death. So now, (assuming you are still with me), the question becomes, what happens to this life force after physical death?

For an answer to this question, we need to seek out research conducted on those whom have come close to death or those whom have been temporarily clinically dead, and subsequently revived via external means (usually via electric shock to the heart). Here, definitions come in to play. See here for a definition of clinical death. Has any such research been done and if so, where is it. Well, happily, the answer to the first question is yes and the answer to the second question is provided in the links below. Remember that this research may necessitate a change in world view on your part and so it will be necessary to keep an open mind when reviewing this material.

* The International Association for Near-Death Studies

* The Near Death Experience Research Foundation

* Who’s Who in NDE Research