262 - The Case for the Afterlife with Philosopher Chris Carter - Big Seance

  In this episode, we're joined by Oxford-trained philosopher and author Chris Carter to explore one of humanity's most enduring and controversial questions: Is there evidence of life after death? Drawing from his latest book, The Case for the Afterlife: Evidence of Life After Death, Carter argues that the survival of consciousness can be established beyond reasonable doubt through empirical evidence rather than faith alone. Our conversation ranges across research from the British and American Societies for Psychical Research, compelling cases of reincarnation involving children who remember previous lives, accounts of after-death communication, and examples of terminal lucidity. Along the way, we examine the philosophical distinction between reasonable and conceivable doubt, address the strongest skeptical objections, and consider the practical and existential implications of believing that consciousness continues beyond physical death. Visit BigSeance.com/262 for more info. Other Listening Options Direct Download Link   In this episode: Intro :00 This interview was recorded on September 19th, 2025. :45 Our guest for this episode is Chris Carter, who is an Oxford-trained philosopher and the author of four highly acclaimed books, and several scholarly articles. His latest book is The Case for the Afterlife: Evidence of Life After Death, which argues that the case for the afterlife can be proven beyond all reasonable doubt, entirely on the basis of evidence. 2:15 Book Description for The Case for the Afterlife: Evidence of Life After Death. 3:16 Tension between skepticism and belief, and what counts as sufficient evidence? 4:53 The most impressive research that Carter's book focuses on, comes from both the British and American Societies for Psychical Research. 7:14 Atheism, Doubt, and Convincing Deniers of the Existence of an Afterlife. 10:36 Reincarnation and Children Who Remember Previous Lives. 13:39 The amazing story of afterlife communication from Frederic Myers, one of the founding members of the British SPR, who died in 1901. Communication came from two different, unrelated mediums on two different continents. 18:05 Reasonable Doubt vs. Conceivable Doubt. "…the burden of proof, of providing evidence, is on the person making the claim." 24:02 The Practical Benefits of a Belief in an Afterlife. 28:36 If consciousness survives physical death, what is its form? The Etheric Body. 30:57 The Skeptic/Denier's Most Fundamental Objections. 36:24 Alzheimer's and Terminal Lucidity. 38:19 "The evidence is on our side. The evidence is not on the side of the materialists, so-called Skeptics. And there's no need to make excuses for our beliefs or even take refuge in the mysteries of faith. The evidence is strong and compelling, beyond all reasonable doubt, that we survive the change called death." 40:42 Get the book, visit Chris Carter's site at WhyRichardDawkinsIsWrong.com, and check out his essay, Can We Prove There Is Life After Death? 41:32 OUTRO 42:01     The Big Seance Podcast can be found right here, on Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, TuneIn Radio, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeart Radio, and YouTube. Please subscribe and share with a fellow paranerd! Do you have any comments or feedback? Please contact me at [email protected]. Consider recording your voice feedback directly from your device on my SpeakPipe page! I would love to include your voice feedback in a future show. The candles are already lit, so come on in and join the seance!