The Cult of Dusty's Take on Near Death Experiences
The Logic is Sound, the Facts are Wrong
I was asked to comment on this hilarious YouTube video by the Cult of Dusty. Here is Dusty's website, one of the funniest and no nonsense approaches to spirituality and religion I have seen. If it offends you, consider this, just about everyone I know who has had a near death experience thinks his website in general and the video in particular is a scream. (Please note, lot's of F bombs, please do not go to this video or his website if constantly repeated foul language offends you, or saying the F word five times in the average sentence is upsetting to you.) Click Here for website
Here is the video:
MY RESPONSE
We need a new form of skepticism, and Dusty is right on in his general understanding of neuroscience, memory, and perception. I love the line that we have enough trouble remembering things with a normal functioning brain, so why do we trust the memories of an oxygen deprived almost dead brain. He goes right to the heart of the issue. Implicit in his lecture on NDEs is an understanding that our brain creates this reality, so we should not be confused upon hearing it creates a different reality when we die.
It is hilarious. Also one of the most coherent and thoughtful critiques of the concept that near death experiences are "real". He accurately points out that the brain creates experience, eye witness testimony cannot be relied upon, and ...IN THEORY an oxygen starved brain should not produce reliable memories.
However there are two errors the author makes:
However there are two errors the author makes: