The specific content of the concept of soul of different nationalities in the world is different, and this concept has undergone many changes in the long historical evolution. However, no matter how different and how to change, the human definition of soul is still consistent in essence, that is, it refers to a living body that exists in human body, but is different from human material body and can survive independently after physical death.
Although there has been a debate about the existence of soul since ancient times, before the emergence of modern science, due to the great influence of religion, the concept of believing in the existence of soul can be said to have penetrated into the thoughts of people of all nationalities in the world. After the emergence of modern science, this concept has been challenged by science as never before. Because according to the standard of empirical science, only what is visible and tangible is true, while the soul is invisible and intangible, and unprovable is one of its most prominent characteristics. Therefore, with the increasing prosperity of science, fewer and fewer people believe in the existence of souls.
But the problem is that although empirical science can't prove the existence of soul, it can't prove the non-existence of soul. Since we can't prove this, how can we conclude that the soul doesn't exist?
Fortunately, with the development of science and the deepening of scientific exploration, the opposition between science and soul in the past has not gradually dissolved. Today, there are still many scientists in the world who don't believe in the existence of the soul, but there are also many scientists, including cutting-edge scientists who are at the forefront of the world's science and technology, who agree with the view that the soul exists. Through their own scientific experiments, they have made a lot of explorations into the mysteries of the soul and achieved many obvious results.
1963 Professor John Ackerley, a British scientist who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine, said in his winning paper: "Nerve cells have invisible communication substances with each other, which is the composition of the soul. There is an immaterial' I' in the human body, which controls the brain, just like the human brain commands the computer, and it makes the brain nerve cells in the brain work. This intangible' knowing me' still exists after the death of the physical brain, and it can still have the form of life activities and can be immortal. "
Dr. Popper, another famous British scientist, completely agreed with Professor Acre's conclusion after experimental research. Bai Pu is one of the most outstanding scientists in the 20th century. His original theory of "dialectical system of scientific orthodoxy" is still adopted by scientists all over the world. Both he and Acre were knighted by the Queen of England for their special scientific achievements. Dr. MacKay of Keeler College in England said: "So far, there are no known theories and experiments that can overthrow the biological soul theory of Dr. Acre and Dr. Pope."
Dr. Sperry, a famous neurobiologist at California Institute of Technology, won the 198 1 year Nobel Prize in Medicine for his detailed functional theory of decomposing the two hemispheres of the human brain. He said: "The human ego is a brand-new and necessary immaterial, which only appears in the material brain with complex hierarchical structure, controls every part of the brain, and restricts the instinctive activity of the mechanical function of/kloc-0.00 billion brain cells."
Dr. John von Newman, a world-famous mathematician, once invented precise mathematical theorems, which laid the foundation for the emerging "quantum science". He also put forward an amazing new theory: "The human body may have an immaterial' Know Me' to control the body's brain and remote control substances."
According to this scientist's immortal theory, Dr. Stevenson, the head of the Department of Neurology and Psychology at the University of Virginia in the United States, spent more than 20 years on a large number of practical investigations, studies and demonstrations on the immortality and reincarnation of the soul, and published a book on this issue. He said: "There are conclusive scientific experiments and evidence of real cases, which confirm that the ancient theory of reincarnation of the Eastern soul is true."
From 65438 to 0978, Eickel, a neurophysiologist who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine, summed up his years of research experience and put forward a surprising new viewpoint: the excitement of the brain is not equal to spirit and consciousness. He believes that people have a "conscious spirit" independent of the brain, and the brain is only its material tool. He said: "Every one of us has immaterial thinking and self-understanding ability at some stage of embryonic development or infancy. This kind of person's' soul' gives us human characteristics: consciousness, thinking and love. Hatred, fear, etc. " He speculated that the immaterial "self" was still alive after the death of the material brain.
A large number of achievements in the above-mentioned scientific research are enough to show that science provides strong evidence for the existence of the soul.
Scientific evidence of soul existence: near-death experience
Science provides a variety of evidences for the existence of the soul, among which the most influential and convincing is the near-death experience (NDE).
The so-called "near-death experience" refers to the resurrection of people who have come back from the dead, that is, people whose hearts have stopped beating or whose brains have stopped working, and describes the subjective experience at the moment of death.
As early as in ancient Greece, the philosopher Plato recorded a scene in which a Greek soldier came back to life after his death and entered the other side of the world. Research shows that "near-death experience" is a common phenomenon, not only in ancient times, but also now; Not only in the East, but also in the West. A large number of people of different ages, genders, nationalities, cultures, occupations and beliefs have experienced this experience. According to a survey by Gallup, a famous American statistical company, it is estimated that at least 654.38+03 million living adults have had near-death experiences in the United States alone, and this number will be even more impressive if children are included.
At present, the phenomenon of near-death experience is attracting more and more researchers from different fields, many of whom have done well in their original research fields. Papers on near-death research have been published in international authoritative medical journals The Lancet and Journal of Near-death Research. 1978, at the initiative of some scholars, the international near-death experience research society was formally established. It can be said that scientific research in this mysterious field is in the ascendant.
Modern research on near-death experience began with Swiss geologist Albert Heim. 1At the end of the 9th century and the beginning of the 20th century, he began to study the near-death experience from his own personal experience.
Meng Hai likes climbing mountains. Once, while climbing the Alps, he was blown off the cliff by the strong wind. Just then, a miracle happened-
"It seems that on the stage at a distance from me, I saw me and my whole past in various images. I regard myself as the protagonist of this play. Everything seems to be beautified by the light of heaven. Without sadness and anxiety, everything is so beautiful. I have a clear memory of my tragic experience, but I am not sad. Without conflict and contradiction, conflict becomes love. Noble and harmonious thoughts dominate and unify personal impressions. A sacred sense of peace washes over my soul like beautiful music. "
This experience prompted Hammond to conduct extensive research on many people who had similar experiences, including soldiers injured in the war, construction workers who fell from buildings, fishermen who almost drowned, and so on. In 1892, he mentioned in his research paper that among the 30 fall survivors he investigated, 95% said they felt calm and happy during their death. He also found that their experiences were very similar: many rapid conscious activities, extraordinary ability to predict results, diffuse consciousness of time, rapid review of life, witnessing supernatural beautiful scenes, listening to Yue Xian in the sky-
"There is no trace of sadness, no great fear that may occur in small dangers ... no tension, despair and pain, only serious and profound acceptance; The spirit is clear and the activity is high. "
Harmon's research seems to be a powerful catalyst for many researchers to follow in his footsteps.
With the development of medical technology, more and more people can wake up from the state of death and report a lot of near-death experiences. No matter what culture, age and religion the experiencer comes from, the content and influence of near-death experience are very similar. Kenneth Reinger, a psychosociologist, basically classified the near-death experience into five stages on the basis of classifying a large number of cases.
The first stage is quiet and relaxed. About 57% people hold this view, and most of them are adaptable. I feel that I am drifting with the wind, and when I am drifting into the darkness, I feel extremely calm, serene and relaxed.
In the second stage, consciousness escapes from the body. People who have this kind of consciousness account for 35%, and most of them feel that their consciousness is floating on the ceiling and in mid-air. Many people also feel that their body image is divorced from their own bodies, and this self-image sometimes returns to their own bodies.
The third stage, through the black hole. 23% people hold this view. They felt that they were sucked into a huge black hole by a whirlwind and rushed forward rapidly in the black hole. I feel my body being pulled and squeezed. At this point, their mood is more calm.
The fourth stage is to get together with friends and family. At the end of the black hole, there is a faint light flashing. When they get close to this light, they feel that this light has given them a pure love. Friends and relatives greeted them at the mouth of the cave. Some of them are still alive, and some have passed away. The only thing that is the same is that they are all tall, colorful and have a halo. At this time, major experiences in my life flew by before my eyes, most of which were pleasant and important events.
The fifth stage is unity with the universe. People who hold this view account for 10%. In a flash, they felt that they were integrated with the universe and got the perfect love at the same time.
With the development of medical technology, more and more people can wake up from the state of death and report a lot of near-death experiences. No matter what culture, age and religion the experiencer comes from, the content and influence of near-death experience are very similar. Some people question whether the report of near-death experience is essentially a subjective personal experience and whether there is an objective and verifiable basis to follow. Dr Kenneth Ring, a professor of psychology at the University of Connecticut, replied, "The most objective and verifiable data is the out-of-body experience of near-death experience. People will see something outside the body. These things can be investigated and verified by scientists. " For example, a doctor named Fred Schoonmake reported that one of his female patients had an out-of-body experience when she was the cardiovascular director of St. Luke's Hospital in Denver, Colorado. The patient was blind, but when he was out of body experience, he "saw" fourteen people in the room. Although she can't distinguish colors, she can "see" objects when she is out of body experience, and can accurately describe what happened in the operating room. Dr. Scooby-Doo Mack said it was as if the female patient really saw it: her description was completely in line with the facts (The Other Side of Life: Exploration of Near-Death Experience, Evelyn Elsa Ethel Vallarino, 1997, pp. 89-90). On the other side of life: exploring the phenomenon of near-death experience. There are countless such cases. It can be seen that the out-of-body experience of the soul is a verifiable objective existence, which lays a solid foundation for the study of near-death experience.
All the near-death experiences verified by scientists, without exception, occur after the parties have experienced death in the strict sense of modern science. Science does not recognize the existence of the soul. According to its view, there is no life when people die, and it is impossible for the dead to feel anything like when they are alive. But the near-death experience provides the completely opposite fact, which conclusively shows that people still have feelings after death, and this feeling obviously does not and cannot come from the dead body, but only from another living body that still exists after the death of the body. Isn't this what people have called "soul" since ancient times?
Study on China's Near-Death Experience
After decades of research on near-death experience by foreign scientists, books introducing near-death experience finally appeared in China. At the same time, more and more researchers in China began to study the near-death experience.
The following contents are excerpted from the paper published by Feng Zhiying, dean of Tianjin Anding Hospital and expert in psychiatry, in the fifth issue of Popular Medicine by Shanghai Science and Technology Publishing House (1993).
1On July 28th, 976, a major earthquake struck Tangshan, China, killing more than 240,000 people and seriously injuring more than 60,000 people/kloc-0. Medical workers in China investigated some people who escaped from the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. Most of them are survivors who were injured by collapsed houses and buried under the rubble. More than half of the survivors recalled that they were not afraid when they were in distress, but their thinking was particularly clear, their mood was particularly calm and relieved, and there was no sense of panic; Even some people have a certain feeling of joy or pleasure in this crisis, feeling that the thinking process is extremely rapid and the imagination is rich. At this time, the past events of life are like movies and TV series, and scenes quickly turn over in my mind and fly by, and the content is mostly pleasant plots, such as childhood fun, marriage scenes, work achievements, awards and so on. This phenomenon is called life review or "panoramic memory".
A girl surnamed Liu, who was only 23 years old at the time of the Tangshan earthquake, was injured by a collapsed house and never stood up again. Describing her near-death experience before being rescued, she said: My thinking is particularly clear and my thinking is obviously accelerated. Some pleasant life scenes flashed through my mind like movies. My childhood friends and I laughed and teased, and the joy of falling in love and being commended by the factory ... were mostly happy life scenes. "She said that just a few minutes before she was rescued, she experienced a kind of happiness and joy in life, and for the first time in her life, she felt the value of life so deeply. Therefore, although she has a disabled waist and will be in a wheelchair all her life, every time she recalls this feeling at that time, her confidence in living and living well is strengthened.
More interestingly, nearly half of the people feel that their consciousness or soul is separated from themselves, and that their image is separated from their body. Some people compare it to "the soul comes out of the shell". They emphasize that their sense of function is somewhere outside the body, not in the brain, and think that their bodies are lifeless and mindless. Some journalists even claim to "see" their own images in the air outside their bodies or on the ceiling. This external self-image also has some vital signs, such as pulse and breathing. And sometimes it can return to its physical body or be connected with it in some way. Compared with its physical body, it is light in weight, but the height and age are the same. Some people say that his physical body was not perfect at that time, such as hearing loss or missing a limb, but the real body did not have such defects. One interviewee described it this way: "At that time, I felt that my body was divided into two parts. One is lying in bed, just an empty shell, and the other is my own body. It is lighter than air, swinging in the air and feeling extremely comfortable. "
About13 people have a strange feeling that they are passing through a tunnel or a space similar to a tunnel, sometimes accompanied by some strange noise and feeling of being pulled or squeezed. This feeling is called "tunnel experience". Some people still feel that the journey in this dark tunnel is coming to an end. They see the light, "Here comes the light." One interviewee said that at that time, "it was like a strong wind, flying sand and stones, and no one was there." Where have you been? " Just when I was in a hurry, a big black hole appeared. I didn't feel scared when I walked in. Several layers of water were splashed in the hole. I walk and walk. When I seemed to see the light, I quickly ran out of the hole and saw the light again. "
About 65,438+0/4 respondents have experienced "meeting" unreal images of people or souls. Most of these non-real people are deceased relatives, and some of them have entered the non-earthly field to live together; Or living acquaintances or strangers, seems to be reunited with them. Its "soul" image is often described by some people as a kind of "glory", while others regard it as the "incarnation" of religion.
Li, a survivor of the Tangshan earthquake, recalled his near-death experience like this: "The body seems to be no longer his own, the lower limbs seem to be missing, all parts of the body are scattered in space, and then it seems to sink into the abyss, and it is dark all around. I hear indescribable and inexplicable sounds. This feeling lasted about half an hour. At this time, I began to look back on my short life, but these memories are purely streams of consciousness and are not dominated by the brain at all. "
Wang, a survivor of the same earthquake, said, "I drifted into another world and saw a man in a robe and jacket standing in front of me." He limped towards me. Although it is very close, I can't see my face clearly, and my face is very blurred. He took me into an unfathomable black hole, and my eyes were dark, and I only felt that my body was following him involuntarily. At the end of the black hole, I found an underground palace with golden walls. The man went in to report, and soon he heard someone say, let him go home first! At this time, I opened my eyes and found myself lying in a hospital bed, and doctors and nurses were nervously rescuing me. "
"The researchers who did the survey got 8 1 valid survey data from the survivors of the Tangshan earthquake. They divided these data into 40 types: reviewing their life, separation of consciousness and body, weightlessness, physical strangeness, physical abnormality, sense of world destruction, sense of integration with the universe, sense of time stop, and so on. For most people, they can experience the coexistence of two or more senses.
Although only 8 1 valid survey data were obtained in the near-death experience survey of Tangshan earthquake survivors, it is indeed the largest sample collected in the history of near-death experience research in the world. In 8 1 subjects, 47 people had personality changes before and after the near-death experience. People who have a clear thinking about near-death experience are changeable and docile; It is blindly optimistic or anxious to "meet" people who are not secular or whose souls, thoughts or actions are not controlled by consciousness but are subject to judgment. After "coming back from the dead", most people still remember the near-death experience at that time, and it is still unforgettable after ten or twenty years.
Obviously, these findings from China are strikingly similar to those of scholars from other countries in the world.
The first scientific experiment in the world to prove the existence of soul
Sam Panyr, a British doctor, was the first person in the world to prove the existence of "soul" by scientific experiments. His experimental design is as follows: If the patient's "soul" can float and see his own body after death, and the doctor is rescuing his body and the lamp on the ceiling, then if a board is placed under the ceiling and some small objects are placed on the board (only Sam knows what objects are, others don't know), then the "soul" should be able to see these small objects. If the patient can be rescued and can tell what the small objects on the chessboard are, then we can tell whether the "soul" is an illusory imagination or an objective entity.
Sam studied more than 65,438+000 patients, and found that 7 of them could tell what their "souls" saw when they woke up, especially the small objects on the chessboard, which were all right. Sam's experiment was a success.
Sam's experiment is groundbreaking. He proved the objective existence of "soul" with scientific experiments for the first time in the world. "Soul" is an objective entity with a certain size, which can float and move. It is another form of human life, not an illusory imagination.
On June 20th, 20001,Sam was invited to give a lecture at Rice University in Houston entitled "Near-death experience: the perspective of brain death or the perspective of new science of consciousness?" This report has attracted many people who are interested in life research. Finally, Sam showed a typical conversation video of people who had a "near-death experience" and answered questions raised by the audience. Researchers at Houston Texas Medical Center expressed great interest in Sam's research, believing that it is of great significance to explore the nature of life, and proposed to cooperate with Sam to study this new field of life.
L the experiment of Dr. McDougall in the United States: the weight of the soul
Dr. MacDougall, a doctor in Massachusetts, USA, is fascinated by studying death and spends a lot of time looking for signs of the existence of souls. He believes that if human beings have a soul, it must be a part of the body, and this organization has weight.
In order to test his theory, 1990, Dr. McDougall made a special experiment in a hospital: he put a dying lung patient on a huge but very sensitive scale. After about three hours and forty minutes, the patient's facial expression suddenly disappeared. In an instant, the beam deviates and the weight of 2 1.26 g disappears. He was so excited by this discovery that in the next two and a half years, he verified five critically ill patients whose weight dropped from 10.6 g to 42.5 g at the moment of death. Dr McDougall published his findings in an American magazine. "The soul will leave the body at the moment of death, and it can stay in the human body for enough time. Our experiments have proved that some substances will leave the body when they die. "
According to the first issue of Life magazine, two doctors in GDR measured the weight of more than 200 people before and after their death, and found that they all lost 0.285g, which they thought was the weight of human soul.