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Post by Dragon Spirit on Nov 9, 2008 9:15:09 GMT -5
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy_of_MindOkay, I'll admit I haven't read everything it says on wikipedia on this, but it's a good starting point. I'll probably read more later. So, the main focus of this thread is the dualism vs. monism debate mentioned in the wikipedia page: is the mind separate from the body, or is everything we think or do have a completely physical nature? Or is it something different from these two main beliefs?
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Post by khaos54321 on Aug 8, 2009 15:41:18 GMT -5
Hmm. That's a tough one. Most would say that the mind and body is separate, but the mind is a very complex system that, to me, works like a computer. It takes a mixture of electrical and chemical signals, but to me, it really is that. It's just that it's so complex that we haven't found a way to duplicate it. We could, but not at the state that technology is today. So, if we are able to duplicate the mind, then it would be evidence of monism, which I have total faith over. So, in which case, we better get moving.
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Post by Dragon Spirit on Aug 12, 2009 12:08:58 GMT -5
So (coming from a Catholic point of view) do you think that there's no such thing as a soul, then? Or is that something completely unrelated from the mind?
I'm still not firmly set in any belief, but... if I had to side with any view, here it is. I think that, as you said, the mind is just like a computer, and all of our thoughts, feelings, etc., can be explained on a purely physical/chemical level. On the other hand, I would say that there is such thing as a 'soul', and that it is highly influenced by the mind. Perhaps to the point that upon separation from the body, it takes all information/mannerisms of the brain. However, note that I don't necessarily use the term soul in the same context as does Christianity and other religions. I use it in the broadest sense - a non-physical entity that can carry on independently of the body. (the only reason I choose this point of view is because it's a concept that I consider applicable for most stories that write, and I really like to write ^_^)
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Post by khaos54321 on Aug 17, 2009 13:06:39 GMT -5
I don't know. That's just one of the mysteries of the world, and though I may be Catholic, my priest doesn't have some kind of mental power that grants him knowledge of what happens after you die, and I don't either. I just leave it to belief that perhaps soul exists, and yes, to my belief is that soul is separate from the body. One way to answer it came from a book I read called "Physics of the Impossible" and it talked about teleportation (like when you see the characters get "beamed up") He said that it's possible and that we can now teleport atoms from one area to another. For us to do it, however, we need to die first. With such, it questions soul. So, if we one day get the technology to teleport, then we'll be able to really answer the question of whether mind and body is separate.
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