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Life After Death: The Evidence

by Dinesh D'Souza

3.44 · rating details · 137 ratings · 37 reviews

Unlike many books about the afterlife, Life after Death makes no appeal to religious faith, divine revelation, or sacred texts. Drawing on some of the most powerful theories and trends in physics, evolutionary biology, science, philosophy, and psychology, D Souza shows why the atheist critique of immortality is irrational and draws the striking conclusion that it is reason...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published November 2nd 2009 by Regnery Publishing

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Aug 19, 2010

Ohdeus rated it

Shelves: science, religion-history-belief, philosophy, history-intellectual

If Philosophy and Science are foreign languages to you, don't worry, D'Souza will guide you through the many intellectual realms with such ease; making his intellectual Rigor evident and worthy of praise. To disagree with D'Souza is understandable and to feel he has taken some theories out of context is acceptable, but to call him pseudo-intellectual is just moronic.

First, this book is not intended to close a debate but to open up a debate by dispelling the assumption that materialis...more

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Aug 11, 2010

Regular Joe rated it

I must admit that after the last generally successful book by author Dinesh D'Souza (What's So Great About Christianity?) his most recent book came as quite a surprise. I have read a number of D'Souza's books and I honestly had no idea why he would tackle such an unusual subject. I definitely debated whether to invest the time on his new book, Life After Death (The Evidence). I'm glad I did.

D'Souza has spent much of the last decade debating the foremost atheists like Christopher Hitc...moreI must admit that after the last generally successful book by author Dinesh D'Souza (What's So Great About Christianity?) his most recent book came as quite a surprise. I have read a number of D'Souza's books and I honestly had no idea why he would tackle such an unusual subject. I definitely debated whether to invest the time on his new book, Life After Death (The Evidence). I'm glad I did.

D'Souza has spent much of the last decade debating the foremost atheists like Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and Daniel Dennett on the validity of atheist claims that all religions are complete nonsense and in fact damaging to society. I've also seen some of his debates on C-Span, YouTube and BookTV. D'Souza's knowledge of atheism and debating skills are definitely impressive. The following statement from atheist Christopher Hitchens appears on the back cover of this book: "Never one to be daunted by attempting the impossible, Dinesh D'Souza here shows again the argumentative skills that make him such a formidable opponent."

In this book, D'Souza attempts to look for proof of life after death using only the atheist's tools, science and logic. He begins by making some pretty bold assertions in chapter one. D'Souza boldly claims he will successfully dismantle the atheist's arguments and show religious beliefs concerning the afterlife are equally or even a better answer to scientific discoveries and assumptions about the possibility and even the probability of a material and immaterial reality. After reading this, I really thought he was setting himself up for certain failure.

This is one of those books that must be read carefully, with attention to details, as each argument builds on the last one, and each chapter adds additional information to D'Souza's arguments. Skimming or reading a chapter here and there will fail to allow the reader to glean D'Souza's evidence. Clearly, some chapters are more interesting than others. However, I strongly recommend the reader resist skipping any material, or only read D'Souza's summary conclusions.

D'Souza tries to build his case by first revealing atheists as clever purveyors of false arguments and false accusations, which amount to what D'Souza calls "false advertising." Then he compares the atheist's refusal to consider life beyond the material world to that of actual cases of universal and philosophical-based belief in the afterlife. In one of the more unusual chapters, he explores communication with the dead, reincarnation, and near-death or beyond-death experiences. Unless this is a particularly interesting subject for the reader, this can be a tedious chapter. Some Reviewers take D'Souza to task over this chapter. Most seem to see this information as the most likely way to prove life beyond the grave and got pretty upset when D'Souza generally dismisses the validity of the claims of what he calls dialogues with the dead.

Beginning with chapter five, D'Souza gets to the science of his arguments. He considers how physics has changed in the last half-century or so and what Physicists now believe concerning our universe and beyond and the laws that govern it. He specifically compares Newtonian physics with Einstein's conclusions concerning relativity, spacetime and curved gravity, as well as information from quantum mechanics. I thought this was one of his best chapters.

The next chapter was a little confusing. Primarily because D'Souza seems to spend as much time personally embracing the evolutionary process as he does pointing out its shortcomings. He does point out that evolution cannot, and does not claim to apply the theory to the origins and beginning of time, space and matter, the essential building blocks of life. In chapter six, he focuses on Psychology and the search for the immaterial within the material body, the soul and the mind. According to D'Souza, many psychologists insist there is no immaterial part to mankind; thus the mind, thought process, reasoning, desires, wishes, etc. are simply the operation of neurons in the brain. Yet others, like biologist Jacques Monod, operate according to what is called "postulate of objectivity," which D'Souza says means modern science's subjective domain is limited to only the study of material (observable) things, making, therefore, the study of the mental outside the reach of science. By the end of this chapter, D'Souza concludes the scientific argument against the existence of a human soul collapses because the soul is neither material nor objective. D'Souza states, "Does this make life after death reasonable? Not yet, but it does make it plausible."

D'Souza then considers whether consciousness and free will actually exists and, according to science, is material or immaterial. In this chapter, he shows how doggedly stubborn scientists can be when faced with the obvious. D'Souza states that "Philosopher Daniel Dennett has made perhaps the best sustained effort to explain consciousness from a scientific point of view." Yet what is Dennett's conclusion?... "Consciousness does not exist." D'Souza summarizes one of Dennett's arguments about "Zombies" during a debate: "Although people aren't conscious and consequently have no feelings or intentions, we should treat them as if they were conscious and did have feelings and intentions." "Why would an intelligent man like Dennett say this?" replies D'Souza. Later, D'Souza closes that chapter showing that Immanuel Kant actually proved that both an immaterial human consciousness and free will do exist, something modern science denies. "We have seen with Kant's help that free will exists, and therefore it follows that we are not merely material objects in a lawful universe. The startling conclusion is that there is a part of human nature that transcendentally operates outside the physical laws governing material things." From this D'Souza draws his conclusion that consciousness and free will have no natural explanation and terefore function beyond the bounds of physical law. Thus, he says, they are not perishable and regardless of what happens to our material bodies and brains after death, our souls live on.

I took Philosophy classes in college and I admit that has been awhile ago. And I certainly never imagined myself a philosopher. So now after reading D'Souza's chapter entitled Philosophy Discovers the Afterlife, I am absolutely sure I will never become one either. Clearly, this was the most difficult chapter for me to grasp and I'm still not sure I understand D'Souza's central point. He contends that Kant's view of the real world, and the world of our sensory perceptions of it, allows the existence of a rational route to afterworlds. German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, a kind of modern-day protégé of Kant, took Kant's volume of work even further, correcting and adjusting it as he went along. D'Souza concludes "In a sense they provide solid intellectual grounding for what previously was affirmed only on the basis of faith. Our conclusion, then, is that there is good reason to believe in the afterlife." In my opinion, that's easy for D'Souza to say. I feel like I missed a turn somewhere in this chapter.

D'Souza really begins to roll in the next few chapters. But rather than give away the specifics of the ending, suffice it to say D'Souza really bears down here and focuses on the final analysis and conclusions of his thesis. Yes, you will just have to get the book and read it for yourself. When I picked up this book, I expected a much larger volume. D'Souza has packed a lot of material in this book's 235 pages. Most of it has significant footnoting, which is cited in an Endnote section, along with a Subject Index at the end of the book.

Generally speaking, D'souza uses his last chapter to summarize his arguments. However, if you are tempted to flip back and read that chapter first, you will probably be disappointed. His summary is very brief and could leave the reader bewildered and dissatisfied. Most of the final chapter is not unlike the ending of his previous book "What's So Great About Christianity?" Some of it was worthwhile, while the rest of it left me with the question...Why was this added?

Just like the question "Is there an afterlife?" the book "Life After Death (The Evidence)" and its author's analysis and conclusions will be discussed, debated, lauded, criticized, and maligned for years to come. So, whether there is an afterlife or not, this question will continue to be asked, pondered and argued by mankind now and on into the future. Whether or not you took the time to carefully read and considered D'Souza's extensive material, arguments and conclusions, he has certainly shown courage in tackling this subject, knowing very well all the criticism he will draw. I do take my hat off to him for his bold adventure into such an emotionally-charged arena. Read it if you care, or just read it if you dare, but please avoid putting sneeringly sarcastic comments in print like those who didn't bother giving this book fair consideration, but rather opted to spill their ideological guts all over Amazon.com anyway. My time reading D'souza's book was time well spent, so I chose to write a Book Review instead of a personal blog full of my own opinions. This book was definitely a worthwhile read, even though all of D'Souza's arguments weren't always as clear and convincing as I'm sure he would have liked them to be.(less)

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Jan 23, 2010

Rob the Obscure rated it

A few...very few...interesting angles. I read this because it was a gift from friends for my B day.

D'Souza's approach is definitely pseudo-intellectual. He is very well-read. However, he has a very strong tendency to pull things from other weighty authors in various fields, throughout intellectual history, take them out of context, and then interpret them for the reader in a way that feeds into his thesis. At times, his interpretations are just downright erroneous.

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Aug 21, 2010

Hans rated it

Shelves: religious, philosophy, social-commentary

I was so skeptical about this book I almost didn't read it. I will admit out front that I have a bias against some religious books, especially Christian ones. The reason is that in the US the commercialization of Christianity has made me deeply suspicious of any book written by Christians about Christian themes. It is a sad fate because I do believe there are those out there who will gladly use religion to make a buck and others who are actually sincere, the difficult part is telling them apa...more

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Jun 15, 2010

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

This isn't a bad book. I suppose I should (as I've done before) in the spirit of complete disclosure point out that I'm a Christian. This book is argued from at least a nominally Christian point of view. A lot of people will find it frustrating of course. No matter your stance the problem of reading a book on a controversial topic is that when you see what you perceive as a flaw in an argument, you can't point it out or argue your point.

Atheists and some Theists alike will find probl...more

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Jan 15, 2011

Caren rated it

Shelves: adult-nonfiction

My mother passed away last year and now, having lost both of my parents, and being past my prime myself, I can no longer ignore the fact that I am next up. This book is a bracing, deep, clear pool from which you cannot help but emerge more hopeful and enlightened. Mr. D'Souza is a Christian, but he only puts forth Christian theology on the afterlife in the very last chapter. Step by step, the other chapters look at near death experiences (including one had by his wife after a car accident), phys...moreMy mother passed away last year and now, having lost both of my parents, and being past my prime myself, I can no longer ignore the fact that I am next up. This book is a bracing, deep, clear pool from which you cannot help but emerge more hopeful and enlightened. Mr. D'Souza is a Christian, but he only puts forth Christian theology on the afterlife in the very last chapter. Step by step, the other chapters look at near death experiences (including one had by his wife after a car accident), physics (are there other universes than ours?), teleology (looking at our biological design and whether any part of us lives on in another form), neuroscience (is the mind separate from the brain and can consciousness survive death?), and a look at what various philosophers have had to say about the afterlife. The explanation of the ideas of various philosophers I found especially fascinating. This is heavy-duty stuff, but Mr. D.Souza explains it very clearly. For example, he explains that Kant "says that our knowledge of the world comes filtered through the apparatus of our senses, our brains, and our nervous systems. What we perceive and understand is what that human apparatus enables us to perceive and understand. And clearly this apparatus has limits" (p.155). So, Kant says, we live in two worlds: the world we can perceive (phenomenon) and the world as it is, beyond our senses (noumenon). Science can, thus, only study the reality we can perceive, but not the totality of reality. The world we can perceive is subject to material laws, including laws of space and time. But there is a reality which does not need to adhere to those rules. "What has been established by Kant is that the world of our experience is not the only world. In fact, it is merely the manifestation of another world, a reality hidden behind the veils of human experience"(p. 158). This is absolutely fascinating material and even if you are not convinced by his arguments, I guarantee it will set you thinking.(less)

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Aug 23, 2010

Mark rated it

Recommends it for: thinkers, skeptics, seekers, followers of Christ

Way too many books put out by Christian publishing houses that are targeted at skeptics & seekers are anything but... they're filled with church-y language, rely on sources that are questionable (at best) to those who aren't inside the Xian bubble, and are often weak in their rhetorical style.

Thankfully, Life After Death: The Evidence is different. D'Souza deals with current research on NDEs (near death experiences), brain chemistry, physics, the nature of consciousness... and then seg...more

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Oct 19, 2011

Jen Lepp rated it

Recommended to Jen by: Tal

Shelves: spirituality

This book was recommended to me by an acquaintance after I had a discussion with him regarding life after death and struggles I had with the idea of mortality and non-existence. This book did not, unfortunately, resolve anything.

For someone not questioning and who has faith, I imagine they will see "evidence". For me, the various arguments D'Souza pulled together were not compelling, and I felt he particularly jumped the shark with his discussion on whether consciousness ca...more

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Jul 04, 2010

Terry rated it

The book jacket said this was going to be based on science and philosophy ... and it was, to a point. It felt like the author was trying too hard to disprove atheism that he missed the chance to talk to people (the "fence sitters") who really are trying to figure out whether there is life after death and what that might entail. And his approach was too slanted toward Christianity. The author did make some good points, but he ignored some basic problems with his argument and didn't a...more

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Aug 30, 2011

S. Rhallin rated it

Having read this book with a thorough eye towards the ideas and theories expressed, I found myself duly impressed by D. D'Souza's approach not only to those of Faith, but Atheists as well.

His arguments are compelling, and non-confrontational. He approaches the long-standing debate between the theological and the secular with neutral phrasiology and thought-provoking queries which allow each individual to address the various questions inherent in thoughts of life after death.
...more

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Dec 24, 2009

David rated it

In two short days --we have been snowed in -- I read Dinesh D'Sousa's new book. I must admit it was a compelling read. The author asks many of the same questions as have I these many years.

I did not appreciate being labeled as "idiotic" (pg.210) due to my agnosticism, but I understand his take on metaphysical "risks". Not deciding without all the evidence is as risky as opting for Pascal's Wager, since, in essence, we will never have "complete" evidence ...moreIn two short days --we have been snowed in -- I read Dinesh D'Sousa's new book. I must admit it was a compelling read. The author asks many of the same questions as have I these many years.

I did not appreciate being labeled as "idiotic" (pg.210) due to my agnosticism, but I understand his take on metaphysical "risks". Not deciding without all the evidence is as risky as opting for Pascal's Wager, since, in essence, we will never have "complete" evidence until after we are dead. I get that.

What I found especially interesting were the author's thoughts about the mind and consciousness. He makes the stunning assertion that human evolution is the Universe's (God's?) method of creating a being which can comprehend both itself and The Universe. This IS the point of all evolution. He shows in fine detail how the material world has moved from disorganization and sterility (think Earth 3 billion years ago) to highly organized and fecund. He examines in detail empirical materialism, materialistic reductivism, and the latest findings of neuroanatomy. This last I understand due to my own independent reading of such texts as "The Spiritual Brain" and "My Stroke of Insight".

He makes a very good case for the independence (from the empirical world) of the mind, consciousness, and free will. It is in his extrapolation from what we can observe to that which we will NEVER be able to quantify where I have some argument with him. He contends that since all of science points to an afterlife (and he cites numerous sources and studies, including many philosophers as well), we are almost surely not finite, but immortal souls.

My biggest criticism is that he fails to explain why we are not conscious or aware of the "time" before our own birth. He notes plenty of arrows pointing forward toward heaven and hell, but the closest he comes to explaining the pre-existence of the immortal soul is the Eastern concept of reincarnation. This is a glaring deficiency, IMO.

Finally, in the end he gives the standard Evangelical Warning -- repent now or be prepared to spend eternity in Hell. He admits, of course, that the Church's ideas of heaven and hell are over-wrought (cherubs, harps, devils, fire) and that Hell is "where you get what you want, forever", and Heaven is (possibly) right here where we live now -- only better. He stresses that Jesus spent much of his time warning people of the ease with which MOST of humanity will slip off the metaphysical cliff, while "narrow is the gate" to the Kingdom of God. I do appreciate, however, how he emphasizes that this new world is available to all believers now, even before we give up our material form. In this regard he may have the key to our destiny.
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Jan 19, 2012

Dave Lester rated it

Shelves: apologetics, politics-current-affairs, world-religions, social-commentary, science

Dinesh D'Souza is an interesting apologetic type writer. Here, in his own words, he is trying to completely put aside his religious views (impossible to get rid of bias, I would say) and investigate the claim of "life after death" with science and philosophy. An fascinating thesis to be sure.

He, of course, criticizes atheism or a completely naturalistic view of life. He talks about the human longing for immortality which certainly one can find those thinkers since the be...more

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Dec 03, 2009

Ver2car rated it

This was a difficult book to read. D'Souza talked about athiests and gave many proofs as to why they were all wrong. He gave a lot of philosopher's reasoning and quoted scientific data showing there is space in the heavens for many worlds. He went on to great length showing that the soul and brain are two separate entities. He cited the Bible and accounts of Jesus and the resurrection and why that was the model which had the most veracity that life does go on beyond the grave. He tied thes...more

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Jan 14, 2010

Chazz rated it

The book is broader in scope than its title suggests, but for the most part, that's a good thing. Near death experiences make up just a small part of the book, while logical arguments make up the majority.

I skipped a little of the chapter on philosophy, covering views of Schopenhauer and Kant. I found it a little deep and dry, like math'l topology.

Other than that, other parts were really, really interesting. Most definitely worth a look. Try it.

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Dec 27, 2009

Jodi rated it

I would recommend this for anyone interested in the endless philosophical debate; does God exist, is there an afterlife. Mr. D'Souza is obviously very intelligent and very well educated. His arguments are well reasoned and he takes on his opponents without denegration- something that cannot be said for his opponents. I would be surprised if any minds are changed with this book, but it is a refreshingly scientific and reasoned pro argument.

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Aug 08, 2011

E. Scott rated it

This is definitely a worthy read. D'Souza offers a well designed, reasoned and logical defense for belief in life after death without appealing to religious sensibilities. Not that there is anything wrong with those sensibilities, but when present such concepts to an atheist or agnostic, they often fall short of the goal. D'Souza raises the bar with his arguments and yet remains simple to understand.

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Oct 30, 2009

Bob rated it

Engagingly written. I hadn't read D'Sousa before, & I didn't expect to like him much, but it turns out that (at least in this book) he's pretty likeable. To my mind, though, he was more persuasive in laying out his opponents' arguments than he was in refuting them.

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Jan 22, 2010

Christen rated it

Shelves: book-club, non-fiction, will-not-finish

The author shows no respect for any beliefs or opinions other than his own; therefore, I do not respect him or his book. I usually give books the benefit of the doubt and have rarely not finished a book, but 10 pages was enough for me.

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Mar 15, 2010

Judith rated it

Gee, I wish i could be as certain of anything in this world as the author is of everything in the next world. To borrow a quote from Hemingway The Sun Also Rises), "Isn't it pretty to think so."

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Oct 11, 2011

Jim Hammond rated it

Evidence? I don't think so. I read this before reading D'Souza's book about Obama and thus I was prepared for the exposure to logical fallacies that dominate both of the books.

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Jun 18, 2010

Bre Cregor rated it

Dinesh always illuminates both sides of an argument and supports each with a wide variety of references.
The trouble with attempting to prove life after death to those who do not believe, with mere facts at hand, is self-defeating.
Faith is the only way one comes to believe.
Faith before the miracle.
Faith before seeing.
Faith before understanding.
Faith, not facts, is the antecedent to conversion to any belief in those things which cannot be seen.
...more

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Oct 24, 2010

Michael rated it

Interesting to see a purely secular/scientific argument regarding the existence & eternity of the human soul.

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Dec 15, 2009

Emily T. rated it

An amazing book. Great book about the "why's" of religion for the science-minded person. I loved it.

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Nov 13, 2011

Sarah rated it

Well, I was hoping this book would rattle my beliefs and force me to ponder life and death. It did not. Every page I read made me angry. The author's arguments lack logic and his references to scientific "evidence" are flaky at best and completely ridiculous at worst. Instead of reflecting intellectually on life and afterlife, the book concludes with a not-so-subtle threat that if you don't believe in Christ's Resurrection, then you are DOOMED. But this is your choice. So many more thi...more

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May 31, 2010

Yolanda rated it

Wow! What an intellectual. Really presented his case well.

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Jan 02, 2010

Linda rated it

Interesting and rather convincing, especially the end.

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Aug 13, 2011

Jeremiah Parker rated it

You should read this.

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May 05, 2011

Whitney rated it

Very thought provoking...

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Mar 11, 2011

Missy Lowrance rated it

Some chapters in this book went over my head as I have always struggled to understand scientific ideas (string theory?!?), but there were some highlights. I liked the chapter about near death experiences and the discussion of evolution. I'd only recommend this to an intellectual truly questioning life after death.

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Aug 21, 2011

Susan rated it

Only for the bravest of seekers... =)

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About Dinesh D'Souza

Catholic Indian conservative writer and speaker.

A former policy analyst in the Reagan White House, D'Souza also served as John M. Olin Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1983.

D'souza writes primarily about Christianity, ...more

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