Death and Consciousness is a book about death and consciousness.  The author, David H. Lund, is a Professor Emeritus of philosophy, at Bemidji State University, in Bemidji, Minnesota.  In a “Preface”, Lund alerts readers that, in the book’s first part, he will present and defend a view of the nature of people and the world they encounter which is not only compatible with a claim of survival of death but suggests that surviving death is more than remotely possible.  And then, after establishing the possibility of survival of death, Lund will consider various kinds of evidence pertinent to possibly surviving death. 

The garb of discourse is woven with abstrusely philosophical strands.

The reading appeal of Lund’s very thoughtfully considered musings regarding possible survival of death extends universally.

In a “Notes” structural section, placed structurally after the last chapter, Lund provides citations, arranged by chapter, for textually referenced materials; some of the Notes are in the form of instructively annotated comment.

A multitude of quotes, drawn eclectically from a wide array of sources, add quite materially to the forming of the book’s substantive composition.

Lund, moreover, adds considerable flesh to the bones of the book by means of anecdotal accounts of various persons.

The anecdotal material presented in the text is substantively very animating.  But critically, it may be opined that, to the extent that the substantive composition is anecdotal in nature, the relative strength of the book, in an academic sense, is weakened.

The field of writing interest sighted by Lund covers fourteen chapters.

As Chapter 1 begins, Lund admonishes readers that the importance of an open minded attitude concerning a study of the question of survival of death cannot be overestimated.  And congruently, an importantly defining property of Lund’s writing is open mindedness injected with a strong dose of critically questioning intellectual rigor.  Lund further opines, as Chapter 1 progresses, that close attention must be paid to what science has discovered about brains, bodies, and natural laws governing the world; additionally, a philosophical approach is essential.

In Chapter 2, Lund explains the case against a belief in survival of death.  But, as the chapter nears its end, Lund cautions readers that he will try to show that the arguments against a belief in life after death are far from conclusive.

As following Chapter 3 commences, Lund discourses that a person is more than a body; there is also mind or consciousness.  According to Lund, consciousness is undeniably real; and it is radically different from the brain.  The mystery of death, in Lund’s view, boils down to the question of what happens to consciousness when the brain dies.

The role of the body is considered by  Lund, in Chapter 4.  Lund considers his subject with much thoughtfulness, as he does consistently throughout the book.  Lund discourses thoughtfully that a person’s awareness of the world is made possible by the body; but the fact remains that consciousness cannot be the same as the brain or body.

The substantive crux of Chapter 5 is the issue of whether consciousness is produced by the brain.  In this regard, Lund proffers the suggestion that it may be that the brain functions more like a receiver or transmitter (rather than a producer) of consciousness.  The work of Aldous Huxley is enmeshed in the web of Lund’s esoteric discourse.

A conception of surviving in another world rises to the substantive fore, of Chapter 6.  In Lund’s view, an investigation of evidence of survival of death depends on arriving at a conception of such survival.

As the pages of the chapter unfold, Lund, in characteristically abstruse fashion, ponders:  disembodied perception; the location of disembodied subjects; disembodied communication (encompassing comment about mental telepathy, psi, and psychokinesis); and disembodied identity (including critical examination of the views of Terence Penelhum, in this context).

The intellectual task that Lund pursues with much vigor, in Chapter 7, is intellectually vigorous examination of science and the paranormal.  In pursuit of this task, Lund enters the realms of:  psi phenomena, extrasensory perception, telepathy, clairvoyance, and psychokinesis. 

The paranormal phenomenon of out of the body experience (“OBE”) is on centerstage, in Chapter 8.  Lund substantively fleshes out this phenomenon in substantial part by means of anecdotal accounts of such experiences.  The ambit of enthralling discourse ranges to the three realms identified by Robert Monroe in his out of the body travels (namely, the “Here-Now” Locale I, non-material Locale II, and the physical world of Locale III).  Near death OBEs, and the work of Raymond Moody in this area, further garner Lund’s rapt attention.  Alleged OBEs involving apparent encounters with the dead likewise collect the close attention of Lund.  Lund also gazes pensively at “lucid dreams” and at the afterlife (offering readers a fascinating glimpse of the TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD).

Deathbed visions, notably including the research of Osis and Haraldsson in this context, fall within the ken of Lund, in Chapter 9.

The crux of Chapter 10 is garnering understanding of apparitions and hauntings.  Anecdotal accounts of apparitional experiences are presented by Lund.  The telepathic theory of apparitions further draws scrutiny.

The intellectually sharp focus of Lund, in Chapter 11, is focused sharply on mental mediumship.

Discourse riveting readers’ attention on claimed memories of prior lives forms the substantive cynosure, of Chapter 12.  Lund’s pondering of reincarnation extends to discerning comment about the case of Jagdish Chandra as well as comment about “announcing dreams” (and the case of Alexandrina Samona).

In penultimate Chapter 13, the attention of Lund turns in the direction of God and Christianity.

And finally, in concluding Chapter 14, Lund proffers some well-considered concluding remarks.

Cautious readers may caution that the musings of Lund, although evincing very considerable thoughtfulness, may not be shared fully by some.

But the myriad death and consciousness centric issues pondered very thoughtfully by Lund will surely hold readers in thrall.

The book’s contents, at a professional level, should especially be of enthralling interest to philosophers, thanatologists, parapsychologists, psychical researchers, and to theologians.

 

© 2014 Leo Uzych

 

Leo Uzych (based in Wallingford, PA) earned a law degree, from Temple University; and a master of public health degree, from Columbia University.  His area of special professional interest is healthcare.  Twitter @LeoUzych