OUT-OF-BODY EXPERIENCE, PURE BEING AND METAPHYSICS
Anthropological Measurements of Philosophical Research December 21, 2016 I. V. Karivets
Metaphysical concepts and empirical-science concepts both derive from experience; the difference is that metaphysical concepts arise from unusual experience (out-of-body experiences) while empirical concepts arise from ordinary experience. Comparing near-death accounts with the metaphysical statements of Plato, Descartes, and Bonaventure shows that statements about pure being, transcendence, and ultimate truth are identical across cultures and historical periods. Out-of-body experience is transpersonal and provides the empirical basis for metaphysics. There are no a priori concepts; all concepts are a posteriori, grounded in either usual or unusual experience. Metaphysics becomes possible through out-of-body experience, which involves a temporary separation of body and mind, described as 'the art of dying.'