Recently published research on near-death experiences (NDEs) offers a striking scientific provocation: the self is less a “ghost in the machine” and more a needle on a compass. In the paper “Towards a Neuro-scientific Explanation of Near-death Experiences?”, researchers describe how disrupting a specific cortical hub—the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ)—can trigger out-of-body experiences and the uncanny sensation of relocating outside one’s own flesh.The implication is profound: when the brain loses track of where the body is, the “self” goes missing too. This suggests that the bedrock of identity is not memory, personality, or even thought. Identity is orientation.

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