Amongst all the joys and problems of human life there is only one certainty, that we all eventually must face death. The obvious question which arises from this certainty is: does life end in oblivion and dissolution, or - as so many believe - does some part of us survive the process of physical death? How we attempt to answer this question is very much dependent upon our personal belief system or philosophy of life and there are essentially three main approaches to developing an answer. The first of these is what modern, mainstream science accepts as reality; that there is nothing other than the material world we see around ourselves, that mind and consciousness are the result of the electro-chemical processes in our brains, and that when you’re dead you’re dead - full stop! This is the scientific materialist or humanist view and is believed to be ‘the truth’ by a large proportion of - but by no means all - western scientists and intellectuals.

The second approach, which is diametrically opposed to the first, is what has been believed at least as far back as historical records go in a wide variety of versions by probably the great majority of humanity. It is what we can call the traditional approach and is best exemplified by the ‘Perennial Philosophy’ which is the common thread underlying all the great world religions. In this the material universe - although very real to us - is only secondary to a greater spiritual reality and we, as individual, eternal souls, are part of that greater reality. Each soul is born into a human body to live a life in the material world and eventually dies ‘out’ of the body to return to the spiritual sphere. Many of those who accept this approach also believe that we have many lives - the doctrine of reincarnation. Such a view is usually rejected by materialists as a primitive belief but it has been and remains the majority view across the world.

The third approach lies somewhere in the wide gap between the other two and often consists of no real approach to this question at all. So many people are so involved in earning a living, or raising a family, or just getting by that there seems to be no time or energy to give to such considerations. Others are often so involved in enjoying the material pleasures of life that they give no thought to where they come from and where they may eventually go. It is only when people are brought up short by some shock or calamity, personal or otherwise, that they ask why such things occur and, having no spiritual philosophy, are usually left inwardly floundering and hurt.

To anyone seriously considering which of the first or second approaches to the meaning of life is correct, the obvious question which comes to mind is: what is the evidence - really sound evidence - which supports either the humanist/materialist view of the world or the opposing traditional, spiritual world-view? Although science through its discoveries is often considered to have disproved the reality of religion and spirituality (and it certainly has undermined many of the more superficial beliefs of traditional religion) in fact it has not been able to do so. A particular interpretation of the available evidence may suggest that the materialist view is the more likely explanation, but other interpretations may be equally or more valid. The purpose of this review is to provide a descriptive bibliography of the books, reports and other sources of experience and evidence, both experimental and anecdotal, where the hypothesis of human survival of death is supported and discussed in a balanced manner. It also includes material not specifically concerned with the concept of survival but which provides support for it. The material available is very extensive and of variable quality - there are, for example, many ‘popular’ books which contribute very little to an objective debate - and thus it has been necessary to be selective in what is included in this, relatively short, review. The present selection, being the choice of only a small group, may by chance miss some good examples of evidence. It would be helpful if any such examples not found here are drawn to the attention of the author for future inclusion.

This review of the evidence has primarily been written for Quakers - members of the Religious Society of Friends. As members of a religious society, it might be assumed that Friends are willing to consider and discuss subjects such as death, dying and what happens thereafter. After all such subjects must be included in a comprehensive spiritual world-view. However, as in many other similar groups, there is a wide spectrum of belief and of acceptance as to what is appropriate to include in any statement of belief, whether personal or collective. It is hoped that many Friends who may feel uncertain about the subject of survival of death will take the time to look through this review and then dip into the recommended sources of information it includes, thus giving themselves a more informed basis on which to draw their own conclusions. It is also hoped that this material will be of value to a wider readership than just Quakers.
Next Page: Arrangement of the Bibliography