- ISBN13: 9781892538529
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Product Description
What does science have to say about life after death? Until recently, very little. But now there are answers, and this book lays them out. Everyone alive today will be better off knowing about the transition called death and what to expect in the afterlife. A lengthy and exhaustive study by the University of Virginia Medical School clearly indicates consciousness continues after death in at least some cases, if not all. This particular study, begun in 1961 and conti… More >>
The Science of Life After Death: New Research Shows Human Consciousness Lives On
Tags: After, afterlife, Consciousness, conti, death., Human, human consciousness, Life, life after death, Lives, remainder mark, Research, Science, science of life, Shows, transition, university of virginia, university of virginia medical school, virginia medical school
#1 by Kevin L. Nenstiel on March 9, 2010 - 9:02 pm
Stephen Hawley Martin is the funniest new humor writer to come along in a dog’s age. His keen parody of New Age mumbo-jumbo captures spot-on the pretentious narcissism and slapdash argumentation that are hallmarks of a goofy movement. His wacky persona is a real kick in the pants. I mean it, this guy is the wittiest satirist I’ve seen since Dave Barry retired.
Sorry, what’s that? You don’t think he’s kidding? Oh, well, that’s different.
Martin’s “science” is a series of half-explained anecdotes, radio interviews, and suppositions based on little inference. If my freshman composition students turned in work this shoddy, I’d flunk them. He thinks testimony is the same as evidence. His reasoning is circular, and often goes begging the question. He claims that some of his evidence proves the exact opposite of what it proves. This book is a laundry list of logical fallacies.
Martin claims to “offer you an entirely new model of the world” (page 163). But there’s nothing new between these covers. He simply (mis)quotes more erstwhile and respectable authors like D. Scott Rogo, Elizabeth Claire Prophet, Eckhart Tolle, and Joseph Campbell. He doesn’t even know what science really is. Martin wonders why some of us will not accept his putatively overwhelming logic. Thomas Kuhn or Karl Popper could give him a categorical answer.
I’m a deeply religious man, and I read sci-fi and fantasy. So I should be in Martin’s target audience twice over. Instead, I can’t help but roll my eyes and snort derisively at this mangled pseudo-science. This book is a complete miss, a trap for rubes and suckers. Save your money; you can spend it on a good séance or tarot reading.
Rating: 2 / 5
#2 by Prometheus Lass on March 9, 2010 - 9:02 pm
I try not to rate books one star only unless they are deeply offensive. This author’s attempt to pass oodles of pseudo-science whose main support came from that age-old enemy of scientific study, the anecdote, as true science is offensive enough to cause me to one star it.
This book claims that it can prove that when people die they go to a debriefing area where they assimilate all the information and experiences they have gained from their last life, and then go to a staging area to be born again. And it claims it can do so, scientifically. For a self-proclaimedly scientific minded and skeptical man, the author is remarkably credulous. His daughter sits up in bed, sleeptalks a word, and automatically with no questioning, he immediately comes to the assumption that it was his dad’s (or friend’s I can’t quite remember) spirit speaking through her.
This book also claims that truly scientific and controlled studies can be made of spiritualist medium readings. If you actually think such a thing is possible, than please go read a whole bunch on how the scientific method actually works. All components in an experiment have to be verified and strictly controlled. There is no way to verify or strictly control a so-called paranormal presence posessing the medium, and certainly no way to seperate such from a really good acting job and remarkable gifts for perceiving what the client wants to hear.
This book does not live up to its title. This book might have well have been called, “The anything but Science of Life After Death. Or maybe, “The Anecdotes of Life After Death.”
I am choosing at this moment, to believe what my boyfriend begins his review of this book with, that this author is one of the most gifted and remarkable satirists of new-age hype that we have seen in decades!!!!
Rating: 1 / 5
#3 by Edward Bubnys on March 9, 2010 - 10:42 pm
What happens after we die? It seems many people, especially physical scientists and money-focused financiers, are materialists/reductionists. They believe there is no after-life, and admonish us to “Enjoy this life while you have it!” However many others share author Stephen H. Martin’s belief that human consciousness survives and exists after bodily death. This book summarizes much work over many years by numerous scientists, many with Ph.D.s from mainstream and respected academic institutions, who have tested various aspects of what William Shakespeare once called “the undiscovered country.”
This book does NOT advocate any particular religious dogma, though the author’s Western Christian heritage is shared by many readers. I have to think Buddhists, Muslims, Confuscians and members of other world-wide religious beliefs can find commonality and compatibility with the author’s focus. I especially appreciate Martin’s criticism of reductionist belief in Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. This theory says we evolved and improved over eons due to Natural Selection. But Martin says this violates The Law of Entropy (second law of thermodynamics), that by themselves “things tend to break down and fall apart rather than get better.” In my own Ph.D. area of Economics which includes experience in Finance and Accounting, we stress “asset depreciation” in our balance sheets as implicit obedience to this second law. Note, Martin does not dispute evolution per se; he claims evolutionary growth is not possible without a primary cause. Among other names, Martin calls it Life Force or “Grace,” the latter term from psychiatrist and best-selling author M. Scott Peck.
As this young century progresses, are we moving away from Materialism/Reductionism to a new paradigm which acknowledges post-bodily survival of individual consciousness? I think scientists should be intellectually open to this possibility and those willing should be encouraged to conduct unbiased research in this area. Perhaps as Martin hopes, some day secular science and world religions will all share similar beliefs about the survival of consciousness.
I heartily recommend this book to all who are not content with our mainstream materialsm and wish to cultivate that curiosity implied by Shakespeare’s words.
My only criticism is stylistic. The book lacks formal bibliography and index sections. Such reference aids are very useful for the serious reader wishing to pursue the subject further. The author tries to make up for this weakness by casually citing numerous books and research articles and even including reproduced covers of these books. However an extended bibliography and index would add a more professional shine to this fine collection of research.
Dr. Edward Bubnys
Rating: 4 / 5
#4 by Obiwan on March 10, 2010 - 12:09 am
I wasn’t sure quite what to expect from this book – I came across it via Michael Prescott’s website. It started off quite well but I would say the science element of the title is misleading as although it makes reference to a number of research areas eg Gary Schwarz and NDE research, it treats them superficially. As a summary of some of the research it is interesting but there is nothing new in it and it is grossly overpriced and thin on detail in my view. It definitely wouldn’t convince a sceptic however it might encourage an open minded person to do more research – they would have to because there is very little real detail in the book. Parts of it looked like an advert for the Munroe Institute. I wish I hadn’t bought it and will probably chuck it in the bin as there are many more useful works out there.
Rating: 2 / 5
#5 by Midwest Book Review on March 10, 2010 - 2:35 am
Removing religion from the equation, is that all awaits our consciousness the blackness of nothing? “The Science of Life After Death” is a discussion of the potential for the after-life in the train of though of science. Offering research and ideas about potential scientific evidence that there is something after, Stephen Hawley Martin offers readers something else to think about when pondering the great beyond. “The Science of Life After Death” is of interest to any who ponder parapsychology or the metaphysical.
Rating: 5 / 5