The useful question is what changes for users, developers or buyers, and whether the announcement stays industry context or becomes something people can actually use.

Princeton University philosopher Mark Johnston presented a lecture at UC Berkeley in March, revisiting a question posed by his daughter as a toddler: 'Is this my only life?' Johnston, author of *Surviving Death*, previously argued that an afterlife was impossible but now contends that identity may extend beyond the current body. He explores this through a secular lens, examining near-death experiences, reductive materialism, and the concept of 'embodied wills' as potential pathways to a future life. The talk was part of the Foerster Lectures on the Immortality of the Soul, sponsored by Berkeley Graduate Lectures.

Johnston’s revised perspective challenges the view that consciousness is solely a product of physical processes, highlighting ethical contradictions in reductive materialism. He suggests that viewing humans as 'embodied wills' allows for the possibility of continued existence in another form. The lecture drew on philosophical arguments rather than theological or religious experience, aiming to demonstrate that a decent hope for an afterlife is not inherently flawed by ontological concerns. Johnston’s daughter’s early curiosity about life’s singularity framed the discussion.

Near-death experiences, reported by about 10% of resuscitated cardiac arrest patients, were a focal point of Johnston’s talk. These experiences often involve sensations of leaving the body, encountering deceased relatives, or reviewing one’s life, and are vividly remembered. While some patients report reduced fear of death or increased altruism afterward, Johnston noted the lack of definitive evidence proving the experiences occur from a disembodied perspective. Experiments to test this, such as hidden signs in emergency rooms, have not yielded conclusive results.

The Foerster Lectures on the Immortality of the Soul, established in 1928 by Edith Zweybruck in honor of Agnes A. Foerster and Constantine E.A. Foerster, aim to explore spiritual subjects through scholarly lectures. Johnston, a Henry Putnam University Professor at Princeton, is known for his work in ontology, philosophy of mind, and value theory. His lecture at Berkeley marked his sixth visit to the campus, where he delivered his 10th lecture, reflecting on his evolving views on the afterlife.