Many choose to believe in their own survival of physical death because it is what seems most natural. The fact is that each person has been alive and conscious at all times he can remember and so being alive and conscious has therefore become in humans an ingrained habit. This habit leads to expectatio

y put the shocks on my chest. When they did, I saw my whole body just jump right off the bed , and I heard every bone crack and pop...As I saw them beating on my chest and rubbing my arms and legs, I thought, "Why are they going to so much trouble? I'm just fine now." (Griffen 234)

Those who believe in their survival usually attest to the existence of a soul, which for their purposes is defined as the spiritual and immortal part of the human being. This immortal quality takes on the requisite of a separation between the conscious mind and the physical body. In order for the soul to exist in an afterlife, it must be able to function completely independently of the human physical form. This theory finds its home in the philosophical argument of mind-body dualism. This school of thought lends itself to the thesis that one's mind and one's body are two different substances (Hart 1).

Still there have been attempts to provide the missing puzzle piece to Descartes' argument. Two of his followers, Geulincx and Malebranche, attempt to correct the problem by reasoning that all apparent interaction between the soul and body just requires a constant supernatural intervention of God (Griffen 105). And this will follow through, just as long as the existence of God is held true. But now there may be a more concrete manner in which to defend dualism and the belief in a type of afterlife. During the past fifty years, an extensive amount of research has been done on near-death experiences (NDE) and the validity of their explanations for definite proof of life after death. These episodes often involve out-of-body experiences (OBE) that may hold the key to making the concept of dualism a well-known reality.

Because the introsomatic view of OBEs is grossly inadequate, the validity of the experience of an OBE needs to be recognized and understood to be evidence supporting the much larger question. They do provide direct support of an affirmative question at issue, which is simply whether the nonphysical body, or soul, can exist apart from the physical body (Griffen 263). And this strongly warrants the endorsing of mind-body dualism. Directly following, is the inference that this proof of dualism can lead to a belief in life after death. As seen, NDEers report their experiences of bodily separation at times when they are even officially pronounced dead. Their soul survives their bodily death. There is then a life that humans lead, as another form, after they leave the physical world they have known.

The belief in an afterlife is comforting to every human. Although NDEers may have a true and real experience for which to place their faith in, others must rest assure that their own self-evidency of religious belief provides just as direct an experience. Not all people will "see the light" in an NDE, but everyone has their chance to see their own light of faith. Although there is evidence of immortality presented here, it should not be refuted that the only proof anyone truly needs comes from their own experience of acknowledging religious belief.

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Approximate Word count = 2676
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)