Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates "Death Is Not Final" At Kaufman Center, May 7

On May 7, provocative debate series Intelligence Squared U.S. presents its final debate of the spring season exploring the question: Does consciousness live on after death?

Recent innovations in technology have allowed researchers to discover that consciousness may precede and exist outside the brain, suggesting that there is much beyond the physical, observable world. Skeptics claim that more plausible, natural causes, such as such as oxygen deprivation, account for the near-death and out-of-body experiences that have been reported by roughly 3% of the U.S. population.

Intelligence Squared U.S. seeks to answer these questions with a debate on the motion "Death Is Not Final." In front of a live audience, four authorities with a broad range of backgrounds will debate whether the existence of life after death is “real” and provable by science, or just a construct of wishful thinking about our own mortality.

Arguing for the motion:
• Dr. Eben Alexander, Neurosurgeon & Author, Proof of Heaven. A pioneering scientist whose own near-death experience during a week-long coma changed his understanding of how the brain and mind works. He has been a guest on Dr. Oz, Oprah, and many other
• Dr. Raymond Moody, Psychologist, Medical Doctor & Author, Life After Life. The leading authority on the “near-death experience”—a phrase he coined in the late seventies--he has lectured for audiences all over the world and has appeared on hundreds of television and radio programs.

Arguing against the motion:
• Sean Carroll, Physicist & Writer. A contributor for Scientific American, New Scientist, and The Wall Street Journal, he frequently consults for film and television, and has been featured on television shows such as The Colbert Report, PBS’s Nova, and Through the Wormwhole with Morgan Freeman.
• Dr. Steven Novella, Academic Neurologist at Yale School of Medicine. He is the founder and current executive editor of Science-Based Medicine as well as the president and co-founder of the New England Skeptical Society. He hosts and produces the popular weekly science podcast The Skeptics’ Guide to the Universe.

WHAT: Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates “Death Is Not Final”
WHEN: Wednesday, May 7, 2014 / Reception 5:45-6:30 / Debate 6:45-8:30 PM
WHERE: Kaufman Center/129 W. 67th Street (bet. Broadway and Amsterdam)/New York, NY 10023
TICKETS: $40 ($12 for students w/ ID). To purchase, visit http://www.intelligencesquaredus.org

Before the debate, audience members will vote on the motion; afterward, the audience votes again. The team that moves the most voters to its side will be the winning team in the debate. People can also weigh in online here: http://shorefi.re/1hyzFUE

The debate will also stream live online, then air soon after as part of the NPR show "Intelligence Squared U.S." On May 7, online viewers can tune in here: http://shorefi.re/1hyzFUE


ABOUT INTELLIGENCE SQUARED U.S. DEBATES (IQ2US)
Winner of the 2013 Silver Radio Award for Best Public Affairs Program and named one of the "Five Podcasts that Will Change the Way You Think" by Forbes, Intelligence Squared U.S. was founded in New York City in 2006 by Robert Rosenkranz, and has grown into an internationally syndicated series heard and watched by millions. The debates have attracted some of the world's top thinkers, including Steven Forbes, Dr. Neal Barnard, Paul Krugman, Karl Rove, Malcolm Gladwell, and Arianna Huffington. With over 90 debates, Intelligence Squared U.S. has encouraged the public to "think twice" on a wide range of provocative topics. Author and ABC News correspondent John Donvan has moderated IQ2US since 2008. The executive producer is Dana Wolfe.