Consciousness restored in man after 15 years in vegetative state

https://futurism.com/researchers-restore...ive-state/

Curious for anyone's take here.  Sounds like the patient may not yet be overly communicative.  Still, pretty fascinating medical development.

https://futurism.com/researchers-restore...ive-state/

Curious for anyone's take here.  Sounds like the patient may not yet be overly communicative.  Still, pretty fascinating medical development.

The bad news about a story like this is that it will encourage some to keep people on life support for years trapping  some poor person in a possibly awful state between life and death. 

I know I never want this to happen to me, and why I just spoke to a lawyer a few days ago on making sure my wishes are known.

Remarkable what science can do. Maybe if they continue to improve they will tell us where their non local consciousness was all this time.

Remarkable what science can do. Maybe if they continue to improve they will tell us where their non local consciousness was all this time.

Well, yes,,, but I'm thinking people like Anita Moorjani already have.

The bad news about a story like this is that it will encourage some to keep people on life support for years trapping  some poor person in a possibly awful state between life and death. 

I know I never want this to happen to me, and why I just spoke to a lawyer a few days ago on making sure my wishes are known.

I know that's the commonly held position, but how do we know the patient in question was in an "awful state between life and death"?

I know that's the commonly held position, but how do we know the patient in question was in an "awful state between life and death"?

I am going to go way out on a limb here and assume that I would rather not be lying in a hospital bed for 15 years w/o the ability to interact. 

Sure, you can hold out the possibility that it is pleasant if you want. I can't say for sure you are wrong, but sure hope my kids or wife wouldn't choose such a plan of action for me based on that possibility.

To me: the ONLY rational reason to make such a choice, is because you believe there is no life after this one. After all, I suppose 15 years lying in a bed in darkness is better than no life at all, one might think.

OTOH- based on several years of looking at the evidence,  I'm quite sure death is just a doorway, and that I've got lots of things waiting for me when I expire. So when the time is right,,, bring it on baby!

I am going to go way out on a limb here and assume that I would rather not be lying in a hospital bed for 15 years w/o the ability to interact. 

Sure, you can hold out the possibility that it is pleasant if you want. I can't say for sure you are wrong, but sure hope my kids or wife wouldn't choose such a plan of action for me based on that possibility.

To me: the ONLY rational reason to make such a choice, is because you believe there is no life after this one. After all, I suppose 15 years lying in a bed in darkness is better than no life at all, one might think.

OTOH- based on several years of looking at the evidence,  I'm quite sure death is just a doorway, and that I've got lots of things waiting for me when I expire. So when the time is right,,, bring it on baby!

My point was how do we know this patient has been without the ability to interact?  I'm thinking of NDE and OOB phenomena here.  Now, perhaps he was just "switched off" for 15 years both in our traditional experience of consciousness as well as anything alternative or extended.  In that case I'm with you.

Novella weighs in:

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index...n-in-coma/

The bad news about a story like this is that it will encourage some to keep people on life support for years trapping  some poor person in a possibly awful state between life and death. 

I know I never want this to happen to me, and why I just spoke to a lawyer a few days ago on making sure my wishes are known.

I've seen you argue elsewhere that the brain isn't necessary for consciousness. You are now taking a strong position about consciosness based on the condition of a compromised brain.

Novella weighs in:

http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index...n-in-coma/

Thank god !