Introduction: The Medium and the Message

Fundamental to the human condition is the awareness that, as biological organisms, we are inexorably drawn towards disequilibrium and the grave. So, the question becomes, "Does human consciousness survive bodily death?" This is a perennial question, and the possibility of postmortem survival provides many with a sense of solace. Perhaps this is one reason why, as a species, we appear to be fascinated by the possibility of mediumship. The purpose of the present volume is to examine critically what is referred to as the survival hypothesis: the tentative statement or prediction that some aspect of our personhood (e.g., consciousness) persists subsequent to the death of the physical body. The appraisal of this hypothesis will be restricted to mediumistic phenomena.