Near-Death Experiences: What we know about death, immortality, and near-death experiences

Check out John Martin Fischer's new series: "Big Questions in 20 Minutes"! In these videos Dr. Fischer provides insight on complex philosophical questions in roughly 20 minutes:
"Should You Fear Death?" -    • Should you fear death? - Big Question...  
"Would you choose to live forever?" -    • Would You Choose To Live Forever? - B...  
"What Gives Our Lives Meaning?" -    • What Gives Our Lives Meaning? - Big Q...  

Expand description for timecode to specific questions.

0:18 What is a near-death experience?
5:43 How has your personal view of death evolved through your research?
6:33 So how did you get started studying death?
7:32 How big is the community of people who study near-death experiences?
9:02 Can you tell us about that grant you won to study immortality?
10:25 Were there any recurring themes in your findings?
11:42 Do people ever have negative near-death experiences?
12:18 What similarities do people’s negative near-death experiences share?
15:20 For how long have people reported having near-death experiences?
15:56 What usually brings people back to consciousness from near-death experiences?
17:49 Do people who report near-death experiences become less scared of death?
19:12 When did you become interested in studying immortality?
20:42 Could we ever be immortal?
21:59 Would you chose to live forever?
26:53 Has studying these topics made you more accepting of death?
30:29 What other changes do people who report near-death experiences tend to show?
31:02 Did any of your project’s findings surprise you?
36:33 Is any of the Immortality Project’s research still going on?
39:16 Do you teach about near-death experiences at UC Riverside?
41:38 Can you tell us about your new book?
45:13 What would you say to someone who's skeptical of near-death experiences?
47:52 What is the meaning of life to you?
52:25 What’s challenging about this type of research?
56:52 What is the end goal of your research?
1:01:58 Has the diversity UCR offers opened your eyes to different perspectives in your research?

UC Riverside philosopher John Martin Fischer directs The Immortality Project, a $5.2-million research initiative to advance our understanding of immortality and its relevance to how we live in the present. Here, he discusses his team’s findings from around the world and answers questions about death, immortality, and near-death experiences.