History of Islamic Philosophy

History of Islamic Philosophy

Dualistic Interpretation of "Near-Death Experiences” in the Crucible of Thought Experiments

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy and Islamic Theology, University of Qom, Qom, Iran.
2 PhD Student in Philosophy of Religion, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran
Abstract
Dualistic interpretations of near-death experiences (NDEs) are based on evidence such as experiencing distant places, gaining awareness of the past, present, and future, and seeing beyond physical objects. From this perspective, these experiences are not possible without the existence of a soul and a metaphysical dimension. This approach considers reductionist and physicalist interpretations incapable of explaining these events. This article designs a thought experiment-type argument to examine a view that claims that by combining two technologies: strong artificial intelligence (SAI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) and achieving artificial intelligence of things (AIoT), it is possible to reconstruct and experience the claims of near-death experiencers without the need for a soul, or even create those experiences without the presence of near-death states by connecting to the brains of individuals. Although the authors reject physicalist interpretations of near-death experiences, they believe that this claim can be a challenge to dualistic interpretations of near-death experiences.
 
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  • Receive Date 20 January 2025
  • Revise Date 24 April 2025
  • Accept Date 24 April 2025