To contact me, since the comment mechanism does not always work, you can email be at jimsullivannj@comcast.net

 

In my entry “Reality in Three Paradigms” I developed a view of three paradigms focused on causality. The approach is in a logical, mathematical and scientific methodology or epistemology. This approach is not based on religion or philosophy. My background is programing and systems analysis

At this point, I intend to continue to develop the description of the third paradigm: the causality of

creation that I started in the blog entry: Reality in Three Paradigms. I want to link the three paradigms with an overview. My descriptions are getting wordy, and the complexity is daunting. I am going to use an outline format for a total perspective. I will recap the first two paradigms of causality: Determinism, then Emergence/Self-Organization. I will continue and expand on the third paradigm of causality: Creation.

If you just want to read about the causality of creation skip to “Creation” below.

  1. Determinism
    • The First Paradigmis the causality of Determinism. It is based on well- defined parameters. Using Deduction, formulas are deduced and verified as the mathematics exactly match or map to the phenomena as actualized.
    • Deduction: reasoning from general premises to reach a specific conclusion
    • Where determinism is operative, within its scope, it cannot have an exception. That would be manifest magic, which is not addressed here.
    • Deterministic algorithms work well with each other. Eg: A moon shot.
    • Example Law of motion: Total Fall Dist. = G/2 X T2
    • The results are an exact output to any degree of significant number places entered as input. This applies to all cases within known scope.
    • The discipline and study of deterministic causality is called pure sciences. Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, etc.
    • There is no known reason why patterns of measured observation are deduced as algorithms or formulars and match to new, valid mathematical construction. Algorithms are abstraction with no known expected effect on the material world. This congruence is “magic-like”.
    • Limits: The algorithms/formulas must be linear and they must have: well defined and shared, parameters. Because of its limits it is not the exclusive causality – as once proposed by LaPlace in 1810 and many others. This was the debunked theory of the clockwork universe without free will. This is when causality is, by must default, to Emergence and Self-Organization and this was then accepted by the mainstream of science.

 

  1. Determinism compared to Emergence/Self-Organization
    • If you are standing and immersed in the arena of determinism and you look over to Emergence/Self-Organization, what you observe of seems to be “magic”.
    • Compared to determinism, the epistemology to explain the origin of Emergence/Self-Organization seems weak.  You must use induction instead of deduction. There are no deduced linear algorithms using standard units. What are the exact units of anxiety or hope?  The strong points are that you cannot logically deny the emergence of what you are seeing. nor can you deduce a deterministically a linear algorithm.
    • Instead, using Induction, you have the causality of Emergence and Self-Organization. Other, surprising possibilities are explored and manifested such as life and behavior.
    • Induction: Involves reasoning from specific observations to form a general conclusion
    • This is now, also science. You see a large body of water has to go down a drain (mixed deterministic water pressure) but there is no purely deterministic solution. You see self-organization then the emergence of a whirlpool. The causality is mixed. This mixing seems to be the case, always.
    • It has been proven empirically, logically and mathematically that there is another causality – emergence/self-organization – and thee two causalities work together to explain all physical, material phenomena – within the Universe. It is also proven that, of course, we have free will. We exercise it and feel it all our lives!

 

  1. Emergence/Self-Organization
    • Emergence example: Based on curiosity, Biologist scientist go to all the continents and classify all living things. The signature of the touch of chaos (you have passed through Alice’s looking glass) is that, for instance, Australia is almost all Marsupials. Other continents, to exploit the same biomes, are Placental dominant. There is no deterministic algorithm nor is there any other causality for the difference.
    • Characteristics of Emergence:
      • Novelty: The emergent whole exhibits new properties or behaviors not seen in the individual components.
      • Holism: The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, meaning the system’s behavior cannot be fully predicted or explained by analyzing individual elements alone.
      • Unpredictability: Emergent properties are often difficult to predict from the rules governing individual components.
      • Scale Dependence: Emergent phenomena typically manifest at a higher level of organization (e.g., a flock of birds coordinated movement vs. individual bird behavior).
      • Examples: Ant colony behavior from simple ant rules, or traffic patterns from individual pilot decisions. Consciousness from neural interactions.
    • Self-Organization: refers to the process by which a system spontaneously arranges itself into an ordered structure without external control. This phenomenon occurs through local interactions among the system’s components, leading to the emergence of global order from an initially disordered state.
    • Characteristics:
      • Spontaneity: Order arises naturally from the interactions of components without a central coordinator or external blueprint. Bird can fly in a synchronized murmuration but no one bird is in charge.
      • Local Interactions: The system’s components follow simple, local rules, leading to global patterns (e.g., molecules aligning in a crystal).
      • Adaptability: Self-organizing systems can adapt to changes in their environment, often showing resilience or flexibility. Evolution.
      • Decentralized Control: No single component dictates the system’s behavior; order emerges from distributed interactions.
      • It can converge to a new “platform” that has new, unique rules such as life. Life has its own rules. There can be further self-organization to a higher-level platform like complex behavior and then consciousness – another, higher platform. Platforms: Cells, multi-cell, mobile animals, social behavior, consciousness.

 

  • Creation compared to Emergence/Self-Organization
    • Deterministic causality cannot be responsible for creation. By creation I am only referring to the creation of our universe. “The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another.” This is an axiomatic start before any other logic.
    • Similarly, Mass cannot be created or destroyed. This principle is known as the law of conservation of mass, which states that in any chemical reaction, the total mass of the reactants must equal the total mass of the products.
    • Emergence, Self-organization cannot be a causality of creation because it requires input resources or it violates the first law of thermodynamics.
    • When we look at the existence of the universe, from the causality of determinism or the causality of E SE it appears to be “magic”.

 

  • Creation
    • What logical based knowledge do we have about the issues involved in questions about creation?
    • The issues are who or what created the universe?
    • If the creator was a sentient, intelligent entity/person was there a design?
    • Did the creator always exist?
    • How do humans fit into the design?
    • I was always concerned as a Christian that there seems there has been no new direct revelation about these questions in 2,000 years. I prayed to God about this because the leap of faith does not feel right and sufficient to me. I am not criticizing the entire spectrum of people’s faith-based knowledge. It has been far ahead of this new information. We are individuals.
    • All these questions and answers are, to me, addressed on a cascade of articles, interviews and You Tube Videos about Near Death Experiences (NDEs).
      • Is there a future for humans after biological death?
      • Have we gone through the barrier between the living and the dead?
      • Is there scientific evidence answering the neuroscientists’ question about “The hard problem about consciousness.
      • Are experiencers reporting in very large numbers about a heavenly realm that sometimes sends them back to earth with instructions to inform everyone? Others remain in heaven or have a choice to be re-incarnated?
      • Is this part of the plan of creation under God’s provenance?
    • Like emergence, self-organization (E, SO) vs determinism the first two causalities are a negative in their failure of determinism or E, S0 to explain existence, information, organized design, and consciousness. Nor do the predecessor causalities address the or disprove the question of a supreme being – God.
    • My previous blog entry (Causality in Three Paradigms) approach to Creation was constrained because there my approach is based on science, mathematics and logic based within this world. They did have validity in strong support from the need to explain the deterministic structure which is based on an inexplicable but highly unlikely need for fine tuning of the physical constants that allow for life. The approach in the second paradigm – emergence and self-organization did support a conclusion of creation by a pre-existing intelligent creator and designer as likely by
    • Abduction: Abductive in differing from deduction and induction reasoning, is about forming a conclusion based on the best available explanation.
    • An abductive conclusion based, for example; on Stephen Myers writings showing the unlikely outcome of the basics of life. The origination of life, cellular complexity, protein complexity and especially consciousness.
    • I want to be clear that the new, to me, information in NDEs is also supported by induction within the causalities of emergence and self-organization. This is science, as I will explain, the same as medicine as any life science. This new information then points to consciousness supported by, but manifesting or actualizing outside the human body. This is unique since the lower brain functions are expressed from the physical brain but conscious is not.
    • Consciousness is the highest mental faculty that integrates all other gathered intelligence and comes to the conceptual and operative awareness of ourselves, it deduces algorithms that match complex outcomes and give us our awareness of self and agency. Beyond deduction, it has a reflexive reaction to multiple, complex inputs that are not easily categorized or analyzed. It can appreciate a mother’s unconditional love. Or any intense human love. A picture, a poem a theory or a gesture can invoke it whole.
    • In the emerging view as explained by Dr Egnor on many You Tube videos and books is that all living things have a soul that makes them unique. Mankind’s unique feature is that we have consciousness. NDE introduces the idea that we have a spirit body and this is the vessel of consciousness and the explanation of consciousness operating outside of our bodies.
    • We have two hemispheres in the brain that have their own specialty and perspective. Consciousness unites their input and integrates a result.
    • In the overall history of scientific neuroscience, it was known that there was no explanation to map consciousness to the physical brain. It was called “the hard problem of consciousness” by neuroscientist and neuro-surgeons who were also scientists.”
    • One challenge was that a researcher (Libet) showed that automatic steps in a series of processes are detectible and marked as automatic pre-conscious by lower faculties. This seems to support biological material determinism. He went further and found out that decisions not to do something are not marked by that prior brain activity. (Benjamin Libet). This clarifies the boundaries of consciousness. These are the boundaries of free will and is the basis of ethics and all humans shared sense of justice.
    • Creation beliefs about a heavenly realm or any view including a known almighty creator – designer seemed to be closed off scientifically because of a seeming impenetrable wall between the living and the dead.
  • Creation, God, his heavenly realm and human consciousness are addressed by the new revelations highlighted by Near Death Experiences. The wall between the living and the dead is breached and supported by scientific evidence!
    • The seeming absolute wall between the living and the dead has been pierced by numerous accounts of human consciousness experiencing another realm in Near Death Experiences (NDE), often heavenly and transformative, with clear scientific proof.
    • NDE was already addressed through history. The feeling of higher powers explaining the origin of this world seems inherent to mankind throughout history all the way back before pre-literate man, but there was no verified science.
    • It is not true that there has to be a valid requirement that to be scientifically validated, the observations have to be supported by repeatable lab experiments. No one repeated Einstein’s deflected Mercury passage in a lab. Mercury does not fit. Biological science accepted the emergence and discovery of gorillas in Africa and kangaroos in Australia solely by the first encounter, observations and pictures. After analysis they were placed into the taxonomy of evolution. Scientist have accepted the mathematics and observation of self-organization in water going down any drain, the DNA system, and life. While logical, science-based skepticism is certainly appropriate, I am puzzled why anyone even tries those laboratory gambits. They are easily disproven by those knowledgeable in the neuroscience field. This is one of the reasons I re-visited the prior causalities with their starkly different epistemology and means of scientific validation.
    • In modern times, materialists were dead-set not to consider any such possibility. I admit there is credible justification in the absence of any organized and widely reported observations in the past. For many in the materialist sub-culture, their religious position was anti-religion. Information about NDEs was suppressed even to the point of costing your job or reputation. This was described by medical staff assigned to Cardiac Crisis units and Neurosurgeons that heard or observed it in patients and only discussed it with other receptive and safe staff. I did not know that during that period. one: Dr. Long compiled a data base of 5,000 occurrences.
    • Many NDE experiencers stopped talking about it to friends and family because it seemed to upset them to consider such a thing. Some of this came from seeming contrary religious belief. The later memories of the experiencers, characteristically, did not diminish at all compared to other memories, even in details. Many were deeply affected to a new value system and priorities for the rest of their life.
    • I have seen reports of NDE in prior years but I thought it was very rare, and so, not very supportable, or useful.
    • How widespread are the reports of NDEs? I asked Co-Pilot AI.

Me:

Is there any estimates of how many near death experiences: NDE are reported in the last ten years

COPILOT:

Short answer: There is no global database that counts near‑death experiences (NDEs) by year, so we do not have a precise “last ten‑year” total. But we can estimate how many people likely reported NDEs in the past decade using prevalence data from large surveys.

📌 What the research shows (grounded in published data)

  1. General population prevalence

Multiple large surveys show that 4%–10% of people report having had an NDE at some point in life. Some studies find similar ranges worldwide (4%–10%). IANDSIANDS. IANDS Q&A: What Percentage of the Population has Had an NDE?

A newer U.S. survey found a much higher figure: 23% of American adults reported an NDE. This is unusually high compared to earlier research, but it shows how strongly results depend on definitions and survey methods.

  1. Clinical (medical crisis) prevalence

Among people who survive cardiac arrest or similar medical emergencies, 10%–20% report NDEs.

📌 Estimating “last ten years” reports

Because NDEs are usually reported long after they occur—and because surveys ask about lifetime experiences—researchers do not track NDEs by year. However, we can estimate:

Method:

Use prevalence × population over a decade.

Global estimate (approximate):

  • World population ≈ 8.1 billion
  • If 4%–10% have had an NDE, that’s 324 million–810 million people globally.
  • If even 5% of these people reported their experience within the last decade, that’s 16–40 million reports worldwide.
  • I do not consider this answer to be anything but a rough estimate in order of magnitude. My question was about 10 yrs and was not detailed in the inclusion factors.
  • I think there is enough information after some heavy discounting to support word-wide estimate by 1 year increment: at least a few million per year. This is not trivial or rare. The US occurrence per year would be in the order of magnitude of at least 10 thousand per year. It is increasing because of the improving medical science of resuscitation.
  • Before I continue, I would like to clear up some points about the terminology. I have to admit, as a conceptual person, that this is a shocking revelation to me and also to medical doctors and scientific researchers. I will continue to use Near Death Experience because it has become a standard. As we will see these experiences are actually “After Death Experiences”.
  • I would like to be clear in establishing that medical personnel and scientist know when a person is dead. An EKG monitor does not lie. There are many other measures in continuous monitoring. When the EKG is flat, breathing stops, and there is no heart-beat, no circulation no oxygenation: in less than 30 seconds, the brain must be functionally stopped and actually brain-dead. After 30 minutes, there is seldom recovery to life without intervention.
  • Also, there is an energy equation that can be evaluated in calories. That must be supported by blood flow and oxygenation.
  • Of course, I checked with AI because I already knew that a live brain, at minimum uses 20% of our whole body’s oxygen need. In documented NDE (operating rooms keep a log) The supply is = 0%. The brain, at rest needs about 250 calories per minute. I am, again, being emphatic, because I know we are breaking into unprecedented territory. We all have a habit of what I call normalization.
  • When we think and read of description of what the experiencers “see” and “hear”, we constantly normalize to think of their earthly physical, biological, eyes and ears. This is completely wrong. In some cases, people were previously very hearing impaired. Often, their eyes were covered in surgical pads to protect corneas and for other reasons. Thee is even an account of a blind women who saw clearly, in 360 degrees. They are brain dead. There is no possibility of a functional connection between the dead brain and sensory organs. All possible functions of their brain are inoperable. All their senses were connected to a dead, completely shut down, piece of inert meat. I have to be stark here. They did not see or hear anything with the body’s senses in the operating room. This is emergent science.
  • In most cases of NDE, they are enthusiastic in noting that their eyesight is better than they could explain, sometimes operating in 360 degrees. Hearing is also beyond previous experience. Some colors and music is beyond anything on earth. If we are scientific and logical, we have to understand that they are using their “spirit” eyes and ears in perfect spirit bodies and have a calm, unfrightened aspect of mind. They are emersed in a sense of love and belonging.
  • The best science-based introduction I have seen on You Tube is a lecture by Dr Michael Egnor “Is the Soul Real?”. He has participated in over 7000 brain surgeries. Since these neurosurgeons are also scientist, they experiment while performing surgeries and share data. Common procedures are to repair aneurisms or to address severe epilepsy conditions. In the course of these procedures, they constantly brain map a specific location to a precise physical location. In all the decades of shared results, they could not maintain their materialist beliefs that all brain functions come from physical areas of the brain. They previously shared the belief that the brain is a flesh and blood biological machine. Its synapses should have explained everything. But they never encountered any data about the top level – consciousness. As I said: “In the overall history of scientific neuroscience, it was known that there was no explanation to map consciousness to the physical brain. It was called “the hard problem of consciousness.”
  • Dr Egnor explained the extreme cases of persons born with astounding deficits of brain morphology. In some cases, most of the mass of both hemispheres is void of brain tissue and filled with water. Patients born with these deficits often astounded medical experts when they went on college and became professionals of notable achievements. This is a complete rebuttal to any case for brain being limited in top level processes to the physical matter of the brain – materialism. Not only is the processing to material mapping missing in normal development but in these cases, there is scientific evidence that it does not follow the rules of any other single organ that cannot function at the same level with clear deficits.
  • The most spectacular case for the flat-line, material brain on the operating table to not be capable of gathering information that is later verified, is in the case of Pam Reynolds. Because the danger of runaway bleeding from an aneurism, her body was brought down to 50 degrees and the blood processing machine drained all the blood out of her brain. The EKG and all instrumentation were flat. This was maintained for 30 minutes. After the operation Pam told the doctor about all that she saw while floating above the operating table! Of course, the doctor did not believe at first. The evidence emerged. She saw the whole operation including instruments and their usage that were brought out after she was brain dead. She described the conversations, the music and other details. This type floating over the operating table, and traveling to another room and starting with the hovering and continuing with the tunnel and the heavenly realm was repeated and cataloged many times as time went on. Facts that were unavailable were repeated in detail. The overall record on this is not hit and miss.
  • They are scientist. The strictly materialist, view seemed more professional and scientific. Now the had new science-based evidence in their professional arena.  They had the integrity to believe new science-based evidence. Some were subsequently converted to Christianity.
  • There are many other NDE experiences with the same elements. Hovering or even travel in the operating room and other locations while brain dead, followed by detailed observations that are verified as having no alternate explanations.
  • The science of consciousness not operating within the brain is also supported by other studies such split-brain experiments. The material brain is the organ of movement, perception, memory and emotion, but not consciousness.
  • OK – we are now ready to analyze cataloged data on experiencers of NDE. There is a doctor that started a data base in his internship 30 years ago that has been maintained. Dr Jeffery Long has entered from many sources 5,000 entries. This is well organized.
    • Rising over the operating table and observing the frantic activity to resuscitate with summoned crisis medical people and instrument resources.
    • Some observations are made in other rooms or distance. These are consistently accurate in details that were not available to the patient when no brain dead.
    • Intense and generally positive emotions with no fear.
    • Often passing through a tunnel
    • Approaching a brilliant light and/or other beings. Sometimes loved ones and even pets. Never living persons.
    • Alterations in time and space
    • Life review (20% of the time) in a multi-screen video presentation that recreates their thoughts and the concurrent thoughts of others and the emotional effects. Later the information is validated, even some that was not known before such as sibling that did not live.
    • Encountering a vast heavenly realm that projects encompassing love at a level that cannot be adequately explained when they return to our world. Information on is given on their purpose in life and discussion/option about returning. Sometimes it is already determined that they need to return. The majority do not want to return. The information gained is validated after.
  • There are numerous, consistent accounts where they meet Jesus (17%) or a light or figure in light that they are certain is God.
  • Their life is permanently changed in purpose and priority.

 

What has emerged is a top-down architecture that is consistent with many religions.

Experiencers receive an overwhelming feeling of love that permeates them to the core. The feeling is internal and at a level that is indescribable after they return. This was shared by guides, relatives, and everyone in heaven.

Not everyone rises to the top level of a heavenly realm and meets the one God or Jesus as God. The overall experience is congruent. It is consistent by occurance and overall experience across all cultures and religeons.

  • God my pass on information that he wants them to promulgate. They remember everything in detail for the rest of their life.
  • He wants them to give, to love, and to care one another. He wants this as a gift from Him through us to the receiver.
  • Lives are permanently changed with new priorities and a sense of mission, especially in the areas of loving and caring for others.
  • Being a conceptual person all of this is astounding to me. What revelation is more important. This is one way of reacting. A second way is that some people will say and feel they always knew this from faith. I must use the word astounded again because a third way is that some people will largely ignore it. Please think about it. We have assurance of eternal life!!

To contact me since the comment mechanism does not always work, you can email be at jimsullivannj@comcast.net