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What Ayer Saw When He Was Dead

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 October 2004

Abigail L. Rosenthal
Affiliation:
Brooklyn College of The City University of New York
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Abstract

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It was news verging on sensational when A. J. Ayer came back from four minutes of heart death with a report of what he saw.Especially since the philosopher, who publicized his near-death experience [NDE] in 1988, in the Telegraph and the Spectator, was known for his lifelong rejection of religion and the supernatural.But, as will be seen, Ayer's beliefs on that head were substantially unchanged, if more ambivalently expressed, and the interest of his NDE lies elsewhere— in what it reveals about his philosophy.

Information

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© The Royal Institute of Philosophy 2004