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Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies Winning Essays 2023: Proof of Survival of Human Consciousness Beyond Permanent Death. Edited by Robert Rosenberg

2024; University of California Press; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/nvr.0.a929479

1541-8480

Benjamin D. Crace,

Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations

Reviews Copyright © 2024 Association for the Academic Study of New Religions, Inc. 131 Japan, where spirituality "can be an alternative for religion, an alternative to religion or an alternative of [fill in the blank]" (187, italics in original). The common foundation for these associations is that religion as well as its alternatives are understood to have a therapeutic and often salvific function, whether for the nation, society, or the individual. Through this book, Gaitanidis has made a valuable contribution to the study of contemporary religion in Japan, and it is sure to become a classic in the study of new religions and alternative religiosity. By combining thorough ethnographic research with a solid critical analysis of the discourses surrounding alternative religion in Japan, Gaitanidis shows his qualities as both a meticulous and empathetic researcher. For scholars of religion in Japan, the detailed survey of rich empirical data is one of many valuable aspects of the book, yet it is also one that risks alienating those who are less interested in the particularities of the Japanese context. However, through his inventive application of different methodological and theoretical approaches to make sense of the spiritual both as a discourse and as a lived reality in contemporary Japanese society, Gaitanidis' work could still serve as an inspiration for those who seek to employ mixed methods when exploring similarly complex fields in other geographical and cultural contexts. Ernils Larsson, Uppsala University Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies Winning Essays 2023: Proof of Survival of Human Consciousness Beyond Permanent Death. Edited by Robert Rosenberg. 5 vols. Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies, 2023. Hardcover sent free to educational and research institutions, libraries , and individuals interested in survival of human consciousness after death; PDFs of individual essays are available from the BICS website. Founded by Las Vegas real estate and aerospace billionaire ­ Robert Bigelow in 2020, the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies (BICS) seeks "to support research into the survival of human consciousness after physical death and, following from that, the nature of 'the afterlife'" (https://​ www​ .bigelowinstitute​ .org/). To that end, the BICS held an essay competition that began in January 2021 that asked, "What is the best evidence for the survival of human consciousness beyond permanent bodily death?" Restricted to 25,000 words, essayists were also required to present "proof beyond a reasonable doubt." Cash prizes of $500,000 for first, $300,000 for second, and $150,000 for third place—as well as additional cash awards for all twenty-­ nine finalists—were announced in November 2021. The essays were then collected and published in the five volumes reviewed here. Contest judges were ­ Christopher C. Green, a forensic neurologist; Jeffrey ­ Kripal,­ Associate Dean of Faculty at Rice University; Leslie Kean, journalist and NR-27-4_Text.indd 131 NR-27-4_Text.indd 131 5/9/24 3:33 PM 5/9/24 3:33 PM Nova Religio 132 Copyright © 2024 Association for the Academic Study of New Religions, Inc. researcher; Brain Weiss, Chairman Emeritus of Psychiatry at Mount Sinai Medical Center Miami; Jessica Utts, Professor Emerita of Statistics at University of California, Irvine; and Harold Puthoff, President and CEO of Earth Tech International. Robert Bigelow himself is an intriguing figure. Part of the motivation for establishing the BICS and the subsequent launching of the competition was his wife Diane's passing. According to Bigelow's Dedication that prefaces each volume, she had reached out to him from beyond in undeniable ways: "[S]he gave to me and others several physical demonstrations that were specifically identifiable to her and proved that she strongly survived." She was, literally, the spirit behind BICS and "The Contest." But even before his wife's death, Bigelow had funded many paranormal research projects, including owning (for a time) the infamous paranormal property known as Skinwalker Ranch. First place, for the half-­ million-­ dollar purse, went to American parapsychologist Jeffrey Mishlove. "Beyond the Brain: The Survival of Human Consciousness after Permanent Bodily Death" is dense with historical and contemporary information, and sets the tone and approach of the other essays. Mishlove throws everything, as well as the proverbial kitchen sink, into his essay—including a full color reproduction of his PhD degree. He also covers...