LIFE AFTER DEATH
Academic psychiatrist, Ian Stevenson (1918-2007) was one of the most controversial researchers of the twentieth century. He travelled the globe, for four decades, investigating reincarnation, apparitions, possessions and near-death experiences. While his peers were sceptical, his findings were extraordinary as he pursued one of life’s biggest questions: is there life after death?
Jesse Bering is a psychologist who built his career on the opposite assumption – that belief in the afterlife is just our living brains giving credence to the absurd. Then he went looking into Stevenson’s work. What he found forced him to rethink everything.
Set against the rise and fall of parapsychology, from Victorian séances to modern media spectacles, Bering will take you on an existential reckoning. Confront some of the oldest and most dangerous questions a scientist can ask: what if we’ve been wrong? What if death isn’t the end? And what does it mean to be human?
Jesse Bering [USA]
Jesse Bering is a science writer, research psychologist, and head of the Science Communication program at the University of Otago in New Zealand. He is the author of The Belief Instinct: Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That? And Other Reflections on Being Human, Perv, and A Very Human Ending. His writing has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Discover, The Guardian, The New Republic, The New York Times, Playboy, Scientific American, The Telegraph, Slate, Vice, and other outlets. He currently writes a weekly column for the French magazine Le Point. His latest book is The Incredible Afterlives of Dr. Stevenson: One Scientist’s Epic Quest for Evidence of Reincarnation, Apparitions, Poltergeists, and Other Matters of the Soul.
Fenella Kernebone
Fenella Kernebone is a content strategist and professional conversation starter dedicated to turning ideas into unforgettable experiences. Her roles have included Head of Programming for SXSW Sydney’s award winning Conference, TEDxSydney and Sydney Ideas, as well as a media career across ABC TV, SBS TV, Radio National, Triple J and podcasts.
We acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation - the custodians of the country on which we meet - and acknowledge their Elders, past and present.
The views and opinions expressed by the Festival participants are not necessarily the views of The Ethics Centre and our partners.