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Interestingly, solving the hard problem of consciousness could effectively prove whether or not God exists. Most Abrahamic religious teach that everybody has a
by umvi 7y ago
Interestingly, solving the hard problem of consciousness could effectively prove whether or not God exists.
Most Abrahamic religious teach that everybody has a "spirit" inside their body, and these spirits are somehow responsible for the experience of consciousness and controlling the body like a hand inside a glove. This is further reinforced by heavenly visitors in religious texts (i.e. Jesus talking to prophets before 0 B.C. in the Bible would indicate that a body-less spirit is indeed conscious).
Proving that consciousness is a totally explainable phenomenon given our current understanding of physics would essentially prove that (at least the Abrahamic) God doesn't exist (i.e. if we could create conscious machines on-demand).
On the other hand, proving that consciousness is the result of some previously undiscovered form/interaction of matter could provide evidence of the existence of "spirits" (i.e. if said "ethereal" matter exists in brain before, but not after, death)
- piokoch 7y agoNo, in "Abrahamic" religions we don't have a "spirit". According to those religions people have immortal soul, which is definitely not a "spirit". The "spirit" thing inside people that might "be freed" and haunt some secluded house is something coming from the domain of cheap horror movies and pseudo science TV shows. By definition souls is not something measurable, it does not belong to physical world so no amount of physics or neurology can "explain it", prove it existence or nonexistence. (I am theoretical physics PhD and Roman Catholic).
- umvi 7y agoNot looking to argue here, but suffice to say, the Catholic view is not representative of all Abrahamic religions (or even just Christianity); I was trying to give as generic as possible an explanation that covers the jist of most Abrahamic faiths without diving into semantics of "spirit" vs. "soul" (which apparently can vary).
- ajna91 7y agoThis is the Thomistic view, not the official Catholic view, no? Also, what about this verse? "For the word of God is living and operative and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart."