ABSTRACT
Many today reject all this. They would say there is no scientific basis for it. There is no evidence that we survive death. Perhaps the very notion that we can is meaningless. We need to start with what we know and not with a theological fairy story. What we know is that human beings are a species of animal. Like other species, we have evolved from other forms of life. Our minds are not entities distinct from our bodies and outliving them. Our mental life is continuous with that of other animals. Some of these are capable of intelligent action, feelings of fear and pain, abilities to see, hear and smell. Peculiarly human attributes such as the capacity for abstract and creative thought can only be understood in the light of this broader biological background.
