Thursday, June 29, 2017

A map of the soul

https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2017/06/a-map-of-the-soul

2 comments:

  1. How would you reply to these comments in the original post's comment section:

    {{If human being possesses a soul, why is it "disabled" along with consciousness under general anesthesia while the rest of the brain is very active?

    But if consciousness is a quantum state generated by microtubules in the brain neurons, it would explain why human beings are unconscious under general anesthetic, where the anesthetic gases selectively prevent consciousness and memory sparing non-conscious brain functions.

    Quantum non-locality could also explain why human beings function fine when parts or majority of their brain is missing or is removed...

    Also, when the part of the brain responsible for generating consciousness is damaged, somehow the soul is '..never able to stimulate the mind itself—the sense of “I”...'}}

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    1. "If human being possesses a soul, why is it "disabled" along with consciousness under general anesthesia while the rest of the brain is very active?"

      When a soul is united with a body, that has a conditioning effect on the soul. In doesn't normally function independent of the body in that state (although altered states of consciousness are possible). The experience and activity of the soul are filtered through the brain, so long as the soul is paired with a body. At death, the soul is uncoupled from the body, at which point it functions apart from the body.

      "But if consciousness is a quantum state generated by microtubules in the brain neurons"

      That begs the question of whether consciousness can be generated by a physical process. Is consciousness a physical phenomenon? And, of course, there are divergent interpretations of quantum mechanics.

      "it would explain why human beings are unconscious under general anesthetic, where the anesthetic gases selectively prevent consciousness and memory sparing non-conscious brain functions."

      From what I've read, medical science doesn't really understand how general anesthesia works.

      "Also, when the part of the brain responsible for generating consciousness is damaged, somehow the soul is '..never able to stimulate the mind itself…"

      The mysterious thing is that some people with severely damaged brains seem to lack consciousness while other people with severely damaged brains exhibit consciousness–or normal intelligence, or even superior intelligence (savants). But that makes sense on the receiver/filter theory of the mind (a la William James, Aldous Huxley, Mario Beauregard).

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