This book is a welcome counterpoint to the majority of neuroscientists and psychologists who are generally materialists.

Evolution News & Views: The Spiritual Brain: An Argument Against Materialism

Canadian neuroscientist Mario Beauregard notes at the beginning of his book The Spiritual Brain, co-authored with journalist Denyse O’Leary, that he belongs to a small minority of nonmaterialist neuroscientists. He is upfront about the fact that he “went into neuroscience in part because [he] knew experientially that such things [religious, spiritual, and mystical experiences (RSME)] can indeed happen.” Driven by his curiosity about what is happening to the brain during RSME, Beauregard and his colleague studied the spiritual experiences of Carmelite nuns, coming to the conclusion that it is more likely that these mystics are directly experiencing a reality outside of themselves.

There is so much evidence, if you choose to approach it with a sincere and open mind, that consciousness and mind are able to function apart from the brain.

As the author puts it: Reviewing studies of near death experiences (NDE), they come to the intriguing conclusion that “mind and consciousness appear to continue at a time when the brain is nonfunctional and clinical criteria of death have been reached.”

Spread the Word