Knowledge and Wisdom

This theme thread traces knowledge as a recurring near-death concern, then distinguishes accumulation of facts from wisdom and ethical use.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

An All-Knowing Moment

A Whole Field at Once Universal Scope Several people describe a moment in which past, present, and future seem to coexist or all knowledge seems available. They cannot preserve the content after returning. Ineffable Experience The speakers stress that their words are only rough comparisons, such as a school or library. The inability to explain becomes a limit on what their testimony can establish.

The School and Library

Knowledge as a Place Lessons Arrive A young man describes lessons coming to him in a schoollike setting. He feels that knowledge can be accessed mentally and absorbed with extraordinary speed. Different Words, Shared Sense He recognizes another person’s description of libraries and higher learning, while admitting that his own language differs. The shared impression matters more to him than uniform terminology.

Seeking After Return

Inquiry Continues Learning Remains Valuable The young man says his experience does not make earthly study pointless. He continues to seek answers rather than treating the vision as a reason to stop learning. Purpose Beyond the Individual He believes knowledge should be used for all humankind. The experience frames learning as a shared responsibility rather than private possession.

Facts and Application

Two Kinds of Knowing Theoretical Knowledge Moody distinguishes factual or theoretical knowledge from practical know-how. He notes that the interviewees seem concerned with fundamental facts and principles, not with learning particular physical skills. A Question of Use The distinction prevents the English word knowledge from obscuring different aims. What subjects value appears linked to understanding the universe and its basic causes.

Wisdom’s Ethical Dimension

Knowing What Is Good Wisdom Beyond Facts Moody observes that wisdom includes an ethical dimension as well as factual understanding. A wise person would know not only what is true but how to use knowledge rightly. Love and Learning Together The accounts place love most prominently in life review, while knowledge may continue beyond death. Their combined emphasis makes intellectual growth answerable to moral purpose.

During reported visions of knowledge

During one young man’s reported encounter

After the young man returns to ordinary life

When Moody compares the meanings of knowledge

Near the end of Moody’s discussion of love and knowledge