Death

== Consciousness ==
{{Main|Consciousness after death}}

Much interest and debate surround the question of what happens to one's consciousness as one's body dies. The belief in the permanent loss of consciousness after death is often called ''[[eternal oblivion]]''. The belief that the [[Stream of consciousness (psychology)|stream of consciousness]] is preserved after physical death is described by the term ''[[afterlife]]''. Neither is likely to be confirmed without the ponderer having to die.

Near-death experiences are the closest thing people have to an afterlife that we know. Some people who have had [[near-death experience]]s (NDEs) report that they have seen the afterlife while they were dead. Seeing a being of light and talking with it, [[Life review|life flashing before the eyes]], and the confirmation of cultural beliefs of the afterlife are all themes that happen during the moments they are dead.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Greyson |first1=Bruce |title=The Handbook of Near-Death Experiences: Thirty Years of Investigation |last2=James |first2=Debbie |last3=Holden |first3=Janice Miner |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-35865-4 |date= 2009}}</ref>