Are we justified in believing that human consciousness survives death?
Is the information in mediumship sittings good evidence of survival?
Professor Michael Sudduth thinks not.
This is the first in a series of conversations between Michael and I, in which we aim to thrash out and ‘strength test’ our differing views on mediumship and what they mean. I as a survivalist and medium, and Michael as a non-survivalist and proponent of alternative explanations for the data of mediumship.
This interview is the first time Michael and I have spoken after exchanging emails about my BICS essay for several months. My approach in this initial interview was to find common ground with Michael, and to create a warmth and friendliness between us. I wanted to lay groundwork for future conversations, and avoid the dialogue becoming combative.
In this interview we discuss:
Gardening :)
The personal vs. academic view of survival phenomena
How to study mediumship
How to evaluate the information in a sitting - where does it come from and what does it mean?
Are we justified in believing in survival?
Does mediumship help or hinder the living from moving on after the loss of a loved one?
…and much more.
Our future discussions will address the claims I make in my paper, and Michael’s responses, in granular detail. But I hope that, for now, you will enjoy getting to know us as we get to know each other. Not as opponents - soldiers of ideologies - but as nuanced human beings.
Also, I must apologize in advance for the sound quality on my end. I updated Zoom before the call and it reset the volume on my mic to 100%. I didn’t notice until after the call.
I had the audio professionally restored, but it’s not great. I will triple check for next time!
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