Diversity and similarity of near-death experiences across cultures and history: implications for the survival hypothesis.
International review of psychiatry (Abingdon, England) January 1, 2025 Gregory Shushan 3 citations
Near-death experiences (NDEs) appear across cultures and historical periods, yet descriptions differ widely. Scholarly debates often frame NDEs as either a universal human phenomenon or entirely culturally constructed. This article examines how the apparent universality of NDEs has been used to support both survival and materialist hypotheses. It also explores what kind of afterlife might be philosophically conceivable if NDE narratives are taken as genuine reflections of afterlife experiences, especially given their diversity.